Comparison of the Analgesic Efficacy of Chest Wall Blocks in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

March 23, 2026 updated by: Ankara City Hospital Bilkent
In this study, the analgesic effects of the Transverse Thoracic Muscle Plane Block and deep Serratus Anterior Plane versus deep and superficial Serratus Anterior Plane applications, which will be performed under ultrasound guidance in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery with sternotomy, will be compared and evaluated.

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

Postoperative pain is a critical risk factor for the development of pulmonary and cardiovascular complications in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. If effective respiratory function cannot be maintained in patients with high pain levels, atelectasis, cardiac ischemia, and arrhythmias may be observed. This prolongs the hospital discharge time of patients and increases the frequency of postoperative pulmonary complications and postoperative morbidity. Moreover, if postoperative acute pain is not adequately treated, chronic pain may develop after surgery, preventing patients from regaining their normal activities for a long time. In addition to medications, various neuroaxial and peripheral nerve blocks can be used in cardiac surgery. The use of intraoperative heparin limits the application of neuroaxial anesthesia (thoracic epidural and intrathecal opioids) and paravertebral block due to potential complications. Nevertheless, studies have shown their benefits in reducing cardiac and pulmonary complications. Recently, fascial plane nerve blocks, which are alternatives to these methods, have gained more popularity in cardiovascular surgery. These blocks include pectoral nerve blocks, serratus anterior plane block (SAPB), erector spinae plane block (ESPB), transverse thoracic plane blocks (TTMP), pecto-intercostal fascial blocks (PIF), and intercostal nerve blocks. The inability to effectively prevent postoperative pain in cardiac surgery has led not only to the exploration of new block applications but also to the combination of these blocks.

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.
60

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 Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06530
        • Ankara Bilkent City Hospital
      • Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Ankara bilkent city hospital, Ankara, Çankaya 06530

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients aged 18-80
  • Patients with ASA score I-II-III
  • Patients with a body mass index (BMI) between 18-35
  • Patients undergoing sternotomy in the operating room

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients under 18 and over 80 years of age
  • Patients with an ASA score of IV or higher
  • Patients with advanced comorbidities
  • Patients with a history of bleeding diathesis
  • Patients using medications that cause bleeding disorders
  • Patients with infections in the area where the block will be performed
  • Patients with a body mass index (BMI) below 18 or above 35

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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: The patient group receiving deep and superficial serratus anterior plane block
In this group, the ultrasound probe will be placed on the 5th rib in the mid-axillary line. After visualizing the muscle structures down to the rib (latissimus dorsi, teres major, and serratus anterior), the needle will be advanced using the in-plane technique to two separate areas on the 5th rib: the superficial and deep fascial planes of the serratus anterior muscle. A total of 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected into both areas. The procedure will be performed bilaterally.
Procedure: The patient group receiving deep and superficial serratus anterior plane block
The ultrasound device to be used , the type of single-use ultrasound-compatible block needle, the type of local anesthetic agent to be administered to the patient, the concentration of the local anesthetic agent, and the total dose of the local anesthetic agent to be administered to the patient will be the same.
Active Comparator: The patient group receiving a combination of deep serratus anterior plane block and transverse thora
In this group, for the TTMP block, the ultrasound probe will be placed on the midclavicular line at the 3rd or 4th intercostal space, where the pleura, pectoralis major, and intercostal muscles will be visualized. A lateral-to-medial scan will be performed to visualize the hypoechoic TTMP located deep to the intercostal muscle and above the pleura. The needle target will be the plane between the internal intercostal muscle and the TTMP. In this area, 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected. The procedure will be performed bilaterally. For the deep SAPB, the ultrasound probe will be placed on the 5th rib in the mid-axillary line. After visualizing the muscle structures down to the rib (latissimus dorsi, teres major, and serratus anterior), the needle will be advanced using the in-plane technique to the fascial plane deep to the serratus anterior muscle on the 5th rib. In this area, 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected. The procedure will be performed bilaterally.
Procedure: The patient group receiving a combination of deep serratus anterior plane block and transverse thoracic muscle plane block
The ultrasound device to be used , the type of single-use ultrasound-compatible block needle, the type of local anesthetic agent to be administered to the patient, the concentration of the local anesthetic agent, and the total dose of the local anesthetic agent to be administered to the patient will be the same.

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
Comparison of the Analgesic Efficacy of Deep and Superficial Serratus Anterior Plane Block with the Combination of Deep Serratus Anterior Plane and Transverse Thoracic Muscle Plane Block in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Time Frame: postoperative 24 hours
Postoperative pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain. Higher VAS scores indicate worse pain outcomes. Pain scores will be recorded by the pain nurse in the postoperative post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), where patients are routinely monitored for 24 hours. Additional postoperative analgesic consumption and patient satisfaction will also be assessed. For descriptive analysis, pain intensity will be categorized as mild (VAS <3), mild to moderate (VAS 3-6), and moderate to severe (VAS >6).
postoperative 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.
Ankara City Hospital Bilkent

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.
May 1, 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 1, 2024

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.
December 1, 2024

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).
October 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.
October 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.
October 24, 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 25, 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 23, 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.
October 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • AsenaIremYildiz2

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

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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