An interventional study of Infraspinatus-teres minor block in Pain After Shoulder Surgery, sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Switzerland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-11.
Sponsored by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The main study objective is to observe the ability of the ITM block to provide clinically acceptable pain control after elective shoulder arthroscopy as measured by pain scores and morphine consumption.
The secondary objectives are determining its trajectory of efficacy up to 24 hours by measure of pain scores, morphine consumption and side effects.
Significant post-operative pain follows shoulder arthroscopy. Currently the interscalene brachial plexus (ISB) block is recommended as the first-choice regional anaesthesia technique (1). However, interscalene bloc is associated with phrenic nerve paralysis for the duration of the block which can exacerbate pulmonary co-morbidities, as well as motor block of the arm which can decrease patient autonomy. An alternative to the interscalene block is the combined suprascapular nerve and axillary nerve (SSAX) block (2). However, this requires two needle punctures and is more difficult to perform technically. Recently, the Infraspinatus Teres Minor Interfascial Plane (ITM) block was developed by Kim et al (1) to anaesthetise the suprascapular and axillary nerves with a single approach. As a fascial plane block, its high safety profile and ease of performance make it a potentially safer alternative the SSAX block when the ISB is contraindicated.
A monocentric, prospective Simon two-stage trial
The study population inclusion criteria will be:
Exclusion Criteria:
The subject exclusion criteria will be:
Single arm interventional group in a Simon's two stage design
Other: Infraspinatus-teres minor block
A fascial plane block of the posterior shoulder with an injection between the infraspinatus and teres minor muscle which will anesthetise the axillary and supraclavicular nerves.
Analgesic efficacy
The binary primary endpoint is block success, requiring the two following criteria: 1. Early treatment success: defined as the absence of treatment failure during the initial 2 hours postoperatively. Treatment failure is defined as either the requirement for greater than or equal to 10 mg of intravenous morphine and a VAS pain score \>3, or a VAS pain score of greater than or equal to 7 at any time during this period. 2. Twenty-four-hour analgesic success: defined as a VAS pain score \<4 at 24 hours postoperatively while consuming no more than 30 mg of reserve oral morphine.
Time frame: At 2 hours postoperatively and at 24 hours postoperatively.
Plan to share: No — Small study with 29 patients and only nine if stopped at stage 1.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois