Comparison of the Postoperative Analgesic Effects of ITM and Bi-level ESPB in Liver Transplantation Donors

August 18, 2025 updated by: Atakan Sezgi, Ankara Etlik City Hospital

Comparison of the Postoperative Analgesic Effects of Intrathecal Morphine and Bi-level Erector Spinae Plane Block in Liver Transplantation Donors

Liver transplantation is a life-saving procedure for patients with end-stage liver disease, and postoperative pain management is critical for optimizing donor recovery and overall outcomes. Poorly controlled pain following donor hepatectomy may reduce quality of life, delay mobilization, and contribute to the development of chronic pain syndromes.

Regional anesthesia techniques, such as intrathecal morphine and erector spinae plane block, have been utilized to enhance postoperative analgesia and reduce perioperative opioid requirements, potentially minimizing opioid-related adverse effects.

In this study, we aimed to compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy of intrathecal morphine and Bi-level erector spinae plane block in living liver donors.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Estimated)

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 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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey
    • Ankara
      • Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey, 06000
        • Recruiting
        • Ankara Etlik City Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

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:

  • Patients aged 18-65 years
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score I-II
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18-30 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients under 18 and over 65 years of age
  • ASA score III and above
  • Patients with a history of bleeding diathesis
  • BMI below 18 or above 30 kg/m2

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: Double

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: Intrathecal Morphine

An intrathecal injection of morphine 300μg will be administered at the L3-L4 or L4-L5 level.

In the intraoperative period, intravenous meperidine 0.5 mg/kg will be given 30min before the end of surgery.
Procedure: Intrathecal Morphine

An intrathecal injection of morphine 300μg will be administered at the L3-L4 or L4-L5 level.

Additionally, in the postoperative period a dexketoprofen dose of 50 mg twice daily were administered iv for multimodal analgesia.
Active Comparator: Bi-level Erector Spinae Plane Block

After the linear ultrasound (US) probe will be placed 2-3 cm lateral to the T8 spinous process, 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine hydrochloride will be injected cauda-cranially into the interfacial space below the erector spinae muscle, above the transverse process. Next, the needle will be withdrawn till subcutaneously and the linear US probe will be placed 2-3 cm lateral to the T10 spinous process. Finally, 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine hydrochloride will be injected cranio-caudally into the interfacial space below the erector spinae muscle, above the transverse process.

This procedure will be performed bilaterally. A total of 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected for bilateral and bi-level ESPB application.

In the intraoperative period, intravenous meperidine 0.5 mg/kg will be given 30min before the end of surgery.
Procedure: Bi-level Erector Spinae Plane Block

Bi-level erector spinae plane block will be performed on the patients using a total of 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine under ultrasound guidance.

Additionally, in the postoperative period a dexketoprofen dose of 50 mg twice daily were administered iv for multimodal analgesia.

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
Pain Scores
Time Frame: On the operation day
Pain will be assessed at rest and while coughing using the visual analog scale on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain). Pain assessment will be done at 0st, 1st, 2nd,4th, 12th, and 24th hours after surgery.
On the operation day

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
Intraoperative opioid consumption
Time Frame: Intraoperative period
Remifentanil consumption for intraoperative period will be recorded
Intraoperative period
Postoperative Opioid Consumption
Time Frame: On the operation day
Opioid consumption for 24 hours will be recorded
On the operation day

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 Etlik City Hospital

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.
August 18, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 10, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 24, 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).
August 8, 2025

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.
August 8, 2025

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.
August 14, 2025

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.
August 19, 2025

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.
August 18, 2025

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.
August 1, 2025

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.
  • AEŞH-EK-2025-155

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

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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