Epidural Morphine for Postoperative Analgesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty

May 31, 2018 updated by: Dong-Xin Wang, Peking University First Hospital

Effect of Low-dose Epidural Morphine Combined With Single-injection Femoral Nerve Block on Postoperative Analgesia in Patients After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Single femoral nerve blockade combined with patient-controlled intravenous analgesia are used for postoperative analgesia for patients after TKA in the hospital of the investigators. Although this method provides acceptable analgesia, the incidence of opioid-associated side effects is relatively high. Low-dose epidural morphine is commonly used in postoperative analgesia after cesarean section, and the effect of single dose morphine lasts more than 20 hours, with low incidences of itching, nausea, vomiting, and respiratory depression. The investigators hypothesize that, for patients undergoing TKA, the addition of low-dose epidural morphine to single femoral nerve block and intravenous opioids can improve the postoperative analgesia, reduce the consumption of intravenous opioids and decrease opioid-associated side effects.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an important therapy for patients with serious knee osteoarthritis in order to improve quality of life and relieve pain. But a large number of patients who undergo this surgery experience moderate to severe postoperative pain. Previously, the investigators used single femoral nerve blockade combined with patient-controlled intravenous analgesia for postoperative analgesia for patients after TKA. Although this method provides acceptable analgesia, the incidence of opioid-associated side effects is relatively high. Low-dose epidural morphine is commonly used in postoperative analgesia after cesarean section, and the effect of single dose morphine lasts more than 20 hours, with low incidences of itching, nausea, vomiting, and respiratory depression. The investigators hypothesize that, for patients undergoing TKA, the addition of low-dose epidural morphine to single femoral nerve block and intravenous opioids can improve the postoperative analgesia, reduce the consumption of intravenous opioids and decrease opioid-associated side effects.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

110

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

    • Beijing
      • Beijing, Beijing, China, 100034
        • Peking University First 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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients (age of 18 years or older);
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists classification I-III;
  • Scheduled to undergo unilateral TKA under combined spinal and epidural anesthesia.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age higher than 90 years old;
  • Presence of any contraindication to neuraxial block or peripheral nerve block;
  • Continuous use of opioid analgesics during the last month;
  • Unable to understand Numeric Rating Scale for pain evaluation or existence of language barrier;
  • Severe renal insufficiency (requirement of renal replacement therapy);
  • History of asthma;
  • Recruited in another clinical trials.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Epidural morphine
  1. Epidural morphine (2 mg morphine in 5 ml normal saline) is administered through the epidural catheter at the end of surgery.
  2. Single femoral nerve block is performed with 20 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine under the guidance of ultrasonography and nerve stimulator after surgery.
  3. Intravenous morphine analgesia is provided with a patient-controlled analgesia pump which is established with 100 ml of 0.5 mg/mL morphine, programmed to deliver a 2 ml bolus with a lockout interval of 8-10 min and a background infusion of 0.5 mL/h.
2 mg of morphine (0.4 mg/ml morphine in 5 ml normal saline) is administered through the epidural catheter at the end of surgery.
Single femoral nerve block is performed with 20 ml 0.5% ropivacaine under the guidance of ultrasonography and nerve stimulator after surgery.
Intravenous morphine analgesia is provided with a patient-controlled analgesia pump which is established with 100 ml of 0.5 mg/ml morphine, programmed to deliver a 2 ml bolus with a lockout interval of 8-10 min and a background infusion of 0.5 ml/h.
Placebo Comparator: Epidural placebo
  1. Epidural placebo (5 ml normal saline) is administered through the epidural catheter at the end of surgery.
  2. Single femoral nerve block is performed with 20 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine under the guidance of ultrasonography and nerve stimulator after surgery.
  3. Intravenous morphine analgesia is provided with a patient-controlled analgesia pump which is established with 100 ml of 0.5 mg/mL morphine, programmed to deliver a 2 ml bolus with a lockout interval of 8-10 min and a background infusion of 0.5 mL/h.
Single femoral nerve block is performed with 20 ml 0.5% ropivacaine under the guidance of ultrasonography and nerve stimulator after surgery.
Intravenous morphine analgesia is provided with a patient-controlled analgesia pump which is established with 100 ml of 0.5 mg/ml morphine, programmed to deliver a 2 ml bolus with a lockout interval of 8-10 min and a background infusion of 0.5 ml/h.
5 ml normal saline is administered through the epidural catheter at the end of surgery.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percent of patients with moderate to severe pain (Numeric Rating Scale pain score of 4 or higher)
Time Frame: Until 48 hours after surgery.
Pain severity is evaluated with Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, an 11-point scale where 0 = no pain and 10 = the worst pain) both at rest and with movement.
Until 48 hours after surgery.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
NRS pain scores (at rest and with movement) at various timepoints after surgery
Time Frame: At 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours after surgery.
Pain severity is evaluated with Numeric Rating Scale (NRS, an 11-point scale where 0 = no pain and 10 = the worst pain) both at rest and with movement.
At 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours after surgery.
Cumulative morphine consumption
Time Frame: Until 48 hours after surgery.
Cumulative morphine consumption during 48 hours after surgery.
Until 48 hours after surgery.
Recovery of motor function of the lower limb from blockade
Time Frame: At the end of the surgery and at 0.5, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 hours after surgery.
Modified Bromage scale (0 = no blockade: extended limb lift off the bed; 1 = flexion/extension at knee and ankle joint; 2 = no flexion/extension at knee or ankle joint; 3 = complete blockade).
At the end of the surgery and at 0.5, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 hours after surgery.
Time to begin functional exercise and ground walking
Time Frame: During hospital stay, up to 1 week after surgery.
Time to begin functional exercise and ground walking
During hospital stay, up to 1 week after surgery.
Patient's satisfaction with analgesia
Time Frame: At 48 hours after surgery.
Evaluated in 5 scale, i.e., very satisfactory, satisfactory, neither satisfactory nor unsatisfactory, unsatisfactory, and very satisfactory.
At 48 hours after surgery.
Length of stay in hospital after surgery
Time Frame: Until hospital discharge up to 30 days after surgery.
Length of stay in hospital after surgery
Until hospital discharge up to 30 days after surgery.
Incidence of postoperative complication
Time Frame: Until 30 days after surgery.
Incidence of postoperative complication within 30 days after surgery.
Until 30 days after surgery.
The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index
Time Frame: At 30 days after surgery.
Evaluated with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index.
At 30 days after surgery.
Quality of life (SF-12) at 30 days after surgery
Time Frame: At 30 days after surgery.
Evaluated with Short-Form Health Survey-12 (SF-12) at 30 days after surgery.
At 30 days after surgery.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

July 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 30, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

May 30, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 30, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 28, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

June 29, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 4, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 31, 2018

Last Verified

May 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2017[1308]

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

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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