Liposomal Bupivacaine With Standard Bupivacaine Versus Dexmedetomidine With Standard Bupivacaine

March 10, 2026 updated by: Wong Sau Ching Stanley, The University of Hong Kong

Liposomal Bupivacaine With Standard Bupivacaine Versus Dexmedetomidine With Standard Bupivacaine for Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block in Distal Radial Fracture Surgery: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Brachial plexus blocks (BPB) are commonly used to provide regional anaesthesia for patients undergoing distal radial fracture surgery. Distal radial (DR) fracture surgery is a commonly performed orthopaedic surgery and is usually associated with moderate postoperative pain. Poor postoperative pain control can impair rehabilitation, delay recovery and negatively impact outcomes after surgery. Liposomal bupivacaine (EXPAREL) is a multivesicular formulation of bupivacaine that allows rapid absorption and prolonged release of bupivacaine. Liposomal bupivacaine may provide prolonged analgesia for up to 72 hours after single injection and may therefore achieve greater analgesic efficacy compared to non-liposomal long-acting local anaesthetics. The addition of additive drugs such as dexmedetomidine to regional nerve blocks can also extend analgesia and improve postoperative pain. However, the effect of adding liposomal bupivacaine versus adding dexmedetomidine in regional nerve blocks is not known. In this project, the investigators propose to conduct a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of adding liposomal bupivacaine versus dexmedetomidine in the supraclavicular BPB for acute postoperative analgesia. The investigators will also assess longer term secondary outcomes including upper limb functional scores, chronic pain, and health related quality of life.

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.

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.
96

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 3

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

  • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
        • The University of Hong Kong

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion criteria

  • American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) status I-III
  • Age 18-90 years old
  • Scheduled for distal radial fracture fixation (Open reduction and internal fixation with volar approaching locking plate)
  • Patients with informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • Revision surgery
  • Previous fractures or surgery in the affected distal radius
  • Surgery involving more than the affected arm
  • Higher energy and high-grade fracture cases - road traffic accident, fall from height, open fractures, combined distal radius and distal ulna fractures, fractures requiring external fixation, fractures with severe articular comminution or severe metaphyseal extension, comminuted fractures requiring more than a single volar approach incision and a single volar locking plate implant
  • Cases with painful conditions affecting the upper limb prior to surgery such as cervical spine, shoulder, elbow, other hand and wrist problems
  • Cases with baseline (pre-injury) QuickDASH score worse than 10 out of 100
  • Respiratory compromise (requires long term oxygen)
  • History of seizures
  • Pre-existing neurological disorder/deficit
  • Chronic opioid user (3 months or more)
  • Presence of chronic pain condition (pain duration over 3 months)
  • Alcohol or substance abuse
  • Psychiatric illness
  • Impaired mental state
  • Local infection
  • Allergy to analgesic drugs: local anaesthetic drugs, paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids
  • Impaired renal function (defined as effective glomerular filtration rate <30ml/min/1.73m2
  • Impaired liver function (defined as plasma bilirubin over 34μmol/L; international normalized ratio [INR] ≥1.7, alanine aminotransferase [ALT] over 100U/L, aspartate aminotransferase [AST] over 100U/L)
  • Coagulopathy (platelet count <100,000/ml and/or INR ≥1.5) or the use of anticoagulants (not including aspirin) that precludes the use of supraclavicular BPB
  • Pregnancy
  • Patient refusal for regional nerve blocks
  • Patient refusal to join the clinical trial
  • Patient unable/unwilling to attend post-op rehabilitation programme

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: Triple

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: To receive supraclavicular BPB using liposomal bupivacaine with standard bupivacaine
10ml of 0.5% plain bupivacaine and 10ml of 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine will be injected.
Drug: Bupivacaine Liposome 13.3 Milligrams/Milliliter [Exparel]
Bupivacaine liposome is a multivesicular formulation of bupivacaine that allows rapid absorption and prolonged release of bupivacaine.
Active Comparator: To receive supraclavicular BPB using dexmedetomidine with standard bupivacaine
19.5ml of 0.5% plain bupivacaine and 0.5ml (50mcg) of dexmedetomidine will be injected.
Drug: Dexmedetomidine 0.5milligram (50micrograms)
Dexmedetomidine is a full α₂ adrenergic receptor agonist roughly eight times more selective for the α₂ receptor than clonidine.

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
Weighted area under curve (AUC) pain score at rest
Time Frame: 0-48 hours after surgery
Pain severity would be rated at rest after surgery using numerical rating scale (NRS) with 0 to 10 where 0=no pain and 10=the worst possible pain
0-48 hours after surgery

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.
The University of Hong Kong

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, 2024

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.
November 3, 2025

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.
February 5, 2026

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).
January 23, 2024

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.
January 23, 2024

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.
February 1, 2024

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.
March 12, 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.
March 10, 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.
March 1, 2026

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.
  • UW24-024

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings