Epidural and Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia Following Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery

October 24, 2023 updated by: Enas Kandil, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

A Comparison of Epidural and Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia Following Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Study

Postoperative analgesia following spine surgery is difficult to manage. Current treatment modalities rely heavily on opioid analgesics with all of the inherent limitations and side effects. While current best practice focuses on a 'multimodal approach' (i.e. using multiple different drugs and techniques to control pain after surgery), there is no consensus regarding which components of this multimodal therapy provide optimal analgesia. This prospective randomized study will enroll patients undergoing elective Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery at Zale Lipshy University Hospital. The primary objective is to determine the comparative efficacy of epidural analgesia, as compared with intravenous (IV) patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), on post-operative analgesia.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Study Design: Prospective study of 58 subjects undergoing elective Lumbar Spinal Fusion (1-3 levels- posterior approach) at UTSW Zale Lipshy University Hospital with:

  1. Continuous Lumbar Epidural Analgesia (Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia- PCEA groups)
  2. Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia (IV PCA)

Study Interventions - The intervention to be evaluated in this study is epidural analgesia using an infusion of 0.0625% bupivacaine plus fentanyl 2mcg/ml. The epidural infusion will be continued until it is appropriate to transition the patient to a regimen of oral pain medications. Duration of epidural catheter will be 72 hours a postoperatively.

For subjects in the IV PCA group, the intervention will include post-operative IV PCA with Hydromorphone.

Epidural catheters will be placed by the spine surgeon under direct visualization intra-operatively prior to closing the surgical incision. Intra-operative epidural catheter placement by the spine surgeon will typically be done at the upper end of the dural exposure/laminectomy.

Epidurals will be assessed for efficacy/function in the recovery room post-operatively by the APS, and then daily on the floor post-operatively (unless contacted by the floor nurse regarding specific concerns).

Visual analog pain scale (VAS) will be used to evaluate degree of pain at 3, 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery.

Additionally, both the IV PCA and the epidural PCEA groups may be given additional "rescue" pain medications as needed in the recovery room, and these may be continued through the post-operative period on the floor.

Total study duration is approximately 50 days, which starts from operating room admission for spinal fusion surgery to the first follow-up visit after discharge.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
46

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390-9068
        • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
      • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390
        • University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Zale University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult subjects aged 18 years or older
  • Scheduled for elective posterior lumbar spinal fusion surgery between 1 and 3 levels

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Baseline cognitive deficits sufficient to make objective pain self-assessments unreliable in the estimation of the Study Investigators.
  • Immunocompromised subject
  • Coagulopathy
  • Severe liver and renal dysfunction
  • Preoperative neurological deficits
  • The dura damage during surgery
  • Inability to follow directions or comprehend the English language.
  • Females who are pregnant as determined by positive pregnancy test on or before the day of surgery.
  • Prisoners.
  • Patient refusal to provide informed consent.
  • Allergy to amide local anesthetics (lidocaine, bupivacaine, ropivacaine) or opioid (fentanyl) allergy if patient assigned epidural analgesia.
  • Hydromorphone allergy if patient assigned IV PCA

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia
Bupivacaine and fentanyl infusion via Continuous Lumbar Epidural Analgesia during postoperative 72 hours
Drug: Bupivacaine
Bupivacaine (0.0625%) will be combined with fentanyl for postoperative epidural analgesia via a lumbar epidural catheter
Other Names:
  • Bupivacaine Hydrochloride
Drug: Fentanyl
Fentanyl (2 mcg/ml) will be given via epidural route together with bupivacaine.
Other Names:
  • Opioid
Sham Comparator: Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia
Postoperative intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) with Hydromorphone
Drug: Hydromorphone
Hydromorphone will be given continuous infusion for intravenous patient controlled analgesia (syringe 25 mg/50 mL).
Other Names:
  • DILAUDID

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analog Pain Score (VAS)
Time Frame: VAS score at postoperative 24 hours
Postoperative Visual Analog Pain Score following lumbar fusion surgery. VAS on the scale 0 to 100 (0= no pain, 100= worst pain).
VAS score at postoperative 24 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total opioid consumption
Time Frame: Postoperative the first 24 hours
Postoperative opioid consumption
Postoperative the first 24 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Enas Kandil, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 8, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 18, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 4, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 11, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 11, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 14, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 26, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 24, 2023

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STU 092016-061

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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