An interventional study of High Thoracic Erector Spinae Plane Block and Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block in Postoperative Pain, sponsored by Ferit Yetik. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-02.
Sponsored by Ferit Yetik · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study will compare two regional anesthesia techniques for pain relief after arthroscopic shoulder surgery: high thoracic erector spinae plane (ESP) block and serratus posterior superior intercostal plane (SPSIP) block. Both techniques involve injecting a local anesthetic into tissue layers in the upper back under ultrasound guidance.
The study will include 80 adults aged 18 to 75 years undergoing elective arthroscopic shoulder surgery at Bursa City Hospital. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either an ESP block or an SPSIP block before general anesthesia. Participants and the clinician assessing postoperative outcomes will not know which block was assigned.
All participants will receive a standardized pain management regimen, including a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump that delivers tramadol when they press a button. Additional pain relief will be provided when needed.
The main aim is to compare the total amount of tramadol delivered by the PCA pump during the first 24 hours after surgery. Other assessments will include pain at rest and during movement, quality of recovery at 24 hours, additional pain medication requirements, remifentanil use during surgery, and side effects or complications related to the blocks and opioid medications.
5,640 studies on the registry are indexed under Pain, Postoperative; 1,230 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 80 is close to the median of 75 across 4,821 interventional studies indexed under Pain, Postoperative.
Browse Pain, Postoperative studies →Ferit Yetik is the lead sponsor of 5 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Scheduled for elective arthroscopic shoulder surgery under general anesthesia.
Provision of .
Age between 18 and 75 years.
(ASA) physical status I-III. -
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of bleeding diathesis or current anticoagulant therapy.
Known allergy to local anesthetics or opioid medications.
Infection at the planned block injection site.
Suspected pregnancy, pregnancy, or breastfeeding.
Refusal to participate.
Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.
Intellectual disability.
Regular opioid use for chronic pain management.
Technical inability to successfully perform the assigned block.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Participants will receive an ultrasound-guided high thoracic erector spinae plane (ESP) block at the T2 level on the surgical side before general anesthesia, using 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine at 1:200,000. All participants will receive standardized general anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia, including tramadol patient-controlled analgesia.
Procedure: High Thoracic Erector Spinae Plane Block
Participants will receive an ultrasound-guided serratus posterior superior intercostal plane (SPSIP) block on the surgical side before general anesthesia, using 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine at 1:200,000. All participants will receive standardized general anesthesia and postoperative multimodal analgesia, including tramadol patient-controlled analgesia.
Procedure: Serratus Posterior Superior Intercostal Plane Block
Before general anesthesia, an ultrasound-guided block will be performed at the T2 level on the surgical side with the participant in the sitting position. A single injection of 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine at 1:200,000 will be administered into the fascial plane between the erector spinae muscle and the transverse process.
Also known as: ESP Block
Before general anesthesia, an ultrasound-guided block will be performed on the surgical side with the participant in the sitting position and the hand placed on the opposite shoulder. The probe will be positioned sagittally medial to the scapula at the second and third ribs. Following hydrodissection with 2 mL of saline, a single injection of 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine at 1:200,000 will be administered into the plane between the serratus posterior superior and intercostal muscles.
Also known as: SPSIP Block
Total PCA Tramadol Consumption During the First 24 Hours After Surgery
The cumulative dose of tramadol delivered through the intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump during the first 24 postoperative hours will be recorded in milligrams and compared between the groups. Only tramadol actually delivered by the PCA pump will be included. Intraoperative tramadol and rescue meperidine will not be included in this outcome.
Time frame: First 24 hours after surgery
Postoperative Pain at Rest
Pain intensity at rest will be assessed using an 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Scores will be compared between the groups at each assessment time point.
Time frame: At 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours after surgery
Postoperative Pain During Movement
Pain intensity during movement will be assessed using an 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Scores will be compared between the groups at each assessment time point.
Time frame: At 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 hours after surgery
Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) Score
Postoperative quality of recovery will be assessed using the 15-item Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire. The total score ranges from 0 to 150, with higher scores indicating better recovery. Total scores will be compared between the groups.
Time frame: At 24 hours after surgery
Incidence of Block-Related Complications
The number and percentage of participants experiencing complications related to the regional block will be recorded and compared between the groups. The type of each complication will be documented.
Time frame: From block administration through 24 hours after surgery
Incidence of Opioid-Related Adverse Effects
The number and percentage of participants experiencing opioid-related adverse effects, including nausea, vomiting, and pruritus, will be recorded and compared between the groups. Each adverse effect will be documented separately.
Time frame: First 24 hours after surgery
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Nov 2026; primary completion for Mar 2027, 4 months later.
Of 2,089 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Pain, Postoperative, half reached primary completion within 11 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 23. This study's planned 4 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 2,102 studies reached it within 11 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 23.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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