A Phase 2/3 interventional study of Dexmedetomidine with Bupivacaine in ESPB and Dexamethasone with Bupivacaine in ESPB in Rib Fractures, Acute Pain and Thoracic Trauma, sponsored by Assiut University. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-18.
Sponsored by Assiut University · Phase 2/3, Interventional, and Treatment
Traumatic rib fractures cause severe chest wall pain that can impair normal breathing, coughing, and lung function. While systemic opioids are commonly used to treat traumatic pain, their side effects, such as sedation and respiratory depression, can complicate recovery. Regional nerve blocks like the ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) offer targeted pain relief while minimizing opioid requirements.
The purpose of this clinical trial is to compare the analgesic efficacy and respiratory outcomes of adding dexmedetomidine versus dexamethasone to bupivacaine during an ultrasound-guided ESPB in emergency department patients with acute traumatic rib fractures.
Participants aged 18 to 65 years presenting within 24 hours of rib injury will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:
The primary outcome is the duration of analgesia, measured as the time to the first request for rescue pain medication. Secondary outcomes include pain scores at rest and during coughing/deep breathing, total 24-hour opioid consumption, diaphragmatic motion evaluated by ultrasound, respiratory recovery, and the incidence of adverse events over a 24-hour follow-up period.
126 studies on the registry are indexed under Rib Fractures; 28 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 100 is above the median of 60 across 92 interventional studies indexed under Rib Fractures.
Browse Rib Fractures studies →Assiut University is the lead sponsor of 5,078 studies on the registry; 2,178 are open to participants now.
Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
ASA physical status
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants receive an ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) with bupivacaine plus dexmedetomidine (0.5 mcg/kg) following local skin infiltration with 5 mL of 2% lidocaine.
Drug: Dexmedetomidine with Bupivacaine in ESPB
Participants receive an ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) with bupivacaine plus dexamethasone (4 mg) following local skin infiltration with 5 mL of 2% lidocaine.
Drug: Dexamethasone with Bupivacaine in ESPB
Ultrasound-guided thoracic erector spinae plane block (ESPB) administered deep to the erector spinae muscle and superficial to the transverse process (typically T4-T6) using bupivacaine supplemented with dexmedetomidine (0.5 mcg/kg) following local skin infiltration with 5 mL of 2% lidocaine.
Ultrasound-guided thoracic erector spinae plane block (ESPB) administered deep to the erector spinae muscle and superficial to the transverse process (typically T4-T6) using bupivacaine supplemented with dexamethasone (4 mg) following local skin infiltration with 5 mL of 2% lidocaine.
Time to First Rescue Analgesic Request
Time (in minutes) from the completion of the ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block until the patient's first request for rescue analgesia (or when the Numeric Rating Scale score is 4 or greater).
Time frame: Up to 24 hours post-block
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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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