Continuous Serratus Anterior Blockade for Sternotomy (Cardiac-SAP)

June 1, 2026 updated by: Nova Scotia Health Authority

Continuous Serratus Anterior Blockade for Sternotomy Analgesia Following Cardiac Surgery: A Pilot Feasibility Study.

This is a pilot study to assess the feasibility of a full study. The purpose is to assess the analgesic effectiveness of the serratus anterior plane (SAP) block following cardiac surgery.

Patients will be randomized to receive either Ropivacaine 0.2% or placebo via bilateral SAP block catheters for 72 hours postoperatively.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Inadequate pain relief following cardiac surgery increases morbidity, length of stay in the intensive care unit, persistent pain, and costs. Moderate to severe pain is common after cardiac surgery, peaking during the first and second postoperative day, then decreasing after the third day.

Regional anesthesia as part of a multimodal pain management strategy has become a key feature of cardiac surgery enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols. A technique consolidating the pectoralis nerve block (PECS) and serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) into a single injection has been described, also called the serratus anterior plane (SAP) block. Given the relative paucity of evidence assessing the utility of continuous serratus anterior plane block (cSAP) in cardiac surgery, we decided to assess the feasibility of a placebo controlled randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a pilot study.

Primary Pilot Study Objective To assess feasibility of a larger intervention study by measuring recruitment rate, adherence rate, retention rates and continuous serratus anterior plane block (cSAP)-related adverse events following cardiac surgery via median sternotomy.

Methods This study will include patients undergoing valvular replacement/repair and/or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at the QEII Health Sciences Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The study will include a maximum of 50 participants, randomly assigned to 2 study arms of 25 participants. A computer-generated random number will be assigned by the central pharmacy to randomize patients on a 1:1 basis to the Ropivacaine and placebo groups.

cSAP block procedure - Study Intervention A member of the cardiac anesthesia or regional anesthesia team will place bilateral serratus anterior catheters under ultrasound guidance within 2 hours of arrival to the cardiovascular intensive care unit. A bolus of study drug 20ml (either ropivacaine 0.2% or normal saline) will be delivered at the time of the block. A 18g multiholed catheter will be inserted and secured to the patients' skin. The same procedure will be followed on the contralateral side. The study drug will be administered by programmed intermittent bolus (PIB) 10ml every 2 hours to each side in a staggered, alternating fashion. The PIB study drug will to be continued for 72 hours post-insertion.

Feasibility endpoints The study will be deemed feasible if it meets the following predetermined endpoints: 1. Recruitment of 4 patients per month; 2. The adherence rate to protocols is >90%; 3. Primary outcome measurement rate is >90%; 4. Combined major catheter-related adverse event rate (pneumothorax + LAST + allergic reaction) is <2%.

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.
50

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.
  • 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 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

  • Canada
    • Nova Scotia
      • Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3S 0H6
        • Nova Scotia Health Authority

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

19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult (aged >18 years) patients at time of screening
  • Undergoing valvular replacement/repair and/or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
  • via median sternotomy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Surgery on an emergency basis (level 1 or 2, <2 hours)
  • An ejection fraction <30%
  • Patient on extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO),
  • Presence of an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP)
  • Preoperative vasopressors or inotropes
  • Severe pre-existing liver disease (Child B or C)
  • Severe kidney disease (Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <30 (mL/min/1·73m²))
  • An allergy to ropivacaine
  • Planned circulatory arrest
  • BMI >35
  • Weight <50 kg
  • Opioid tolerant (oral morphine equivalent >60mg per day for >1 week prior to admission)
  • Unable to provide valid consent to study prior to surgery

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: Quadruple

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.
Active Comparator: Active serratus anterior plane (SAP) block with Ropivacaine 0.2%
Procedure: Serratus anterior plane (SAP) block
With the patient in supine position, an ultrasound transducer will be used to find the 4th rib in the mid-axillary line. A 17g touhy needle will be introduced in-plane in an inferior to superior direction until its tip rests between the serratus anterior muscle and the 4th rib or the 3rd external intercostal muscle. A bolus of study drug 10ml (either ropivacaine 0.2% or normal saline) will be delivered though the needle. A 18g multiholed catheter will be inserted and secured to the patients' skin with adhesive dressings. A further 10ml of study drug will be administered through the catheter. The same procedure will be followed on the contralateral side. The study drug will be administered by programmed intermittent bolus (PIB) 10ml every 2 hours to each side in a staggered, alternating fashion. The PIB study drug will to be continued for 72 hours post-insertion.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo serratus anterior plane (SAP) block with normal saline
Procedure: Normal saline placebo
Patients in both groups will receive the standard of care analgesic medications in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and the ward.

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
Recruitment rate
Time Frame: 1 month
Number of patients recruited to the study
1 month
Adherence rate
Time Frame: Until measurement of quality of recovery at 72 hours
The number of patients with no protocol violations
Until measurement of quality of recovery at 72 hours
Primary outcome measurement rate (quality of recovery 15 index)
Time Frame: 72 hours
The number of patients completing the quality of recovery 15 (QoR-15) index
72 hours
Combined major block-related adverse event rate
Time Frame: Until block catheter is removed at 72 hours
The number of patients experiencing a major block-related adverse event including pneumothorax, local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) or allergic reaction.
Until block catheter is removed at 72 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
Quality of recovery 15 index (QoR-15)
Time Frame: 48, 72 hours
The quality of recovery (QoR-15) questionnaire includes five domains of recovery after surgery: patient support, comfort, emotions, physical independence, and pain. Each item is graded on an eleven-point Likert scale with QoR-15 scores ranging from 0 (extremely poor quality of recovery) to 150 (excellent quality of recovery).
48, 72 hours
Pain scores
Time Frame: 24, 48, 72 hours
Measured by numeric rating scale (NRS). The NRS has possible scores from 0 to 10 with higher numbers indicating worse pain.
24, 48, 72 hours
Opioid use
Time Frame: 24, 48, 72 hours
Measured by oral morphine equivalents (OME) in milligrams
24, 48, 72 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.
Nova Scotia Health Authority

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)

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.
July 22, 2021

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.
February 2, 2023

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.
August 2, 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).
November 24, 2020

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.
November 24, 2020

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.
December 2, 2020

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.
June 2, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • NSH REB#1026626

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

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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