Comparative Analgesia and Respiratory Effects of Shoulder Blocks

February 23, 2026 updated by: Musa Zengin, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research Hospital

Analgesic Efficacy and Respiratory Effects of Interscalene, Anterior Suprascapular, and Pericapsular Nerve Group Blocks in Shoulder Arthroscopy

Interscalene block is widely accepted as the gold-standard regional analgesic technique for pain control after arthroscopic shoulder surgery. However, because this block is performed at the level of the brachial plexus roots, it may be associated with adverse effects such as phrenic nerve blockade and subsequent diaphragmatic dysfunction. These limitations have prompted the search for alternative regional anesthesia techniques that can provide effective postoperative analgesia while preserving respiratory function.

The anterior suprascapular block, which covers a broad dermatomal distribution of the shoulder region, has been shown in some studies to provide sufficient analgesia as a standalone technique. In addition, the pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block of the shoulder-applied around the anterior capsule and performed at a distance from critical neurovascular structures that may lead to serious complications-may represent another potential analgesic option following arthroscopic shoulder procedures.

Therefore, this study aims to evaluate alternative regional block techniques in comparison with the interscalene block and to contribute to the identification of an optimal analgesic strategy after arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

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.
120

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
      • Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06170
        • 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 with ASA scores I-II-III
  • Patients scheduled for elective arthroscopic shoulder surgery
  • Patients who have been informed about the study and have given written consent will be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Those with a known allergy to local anesthetics
  • Those with an infection at the application site
  • Those with a severe coagulopathy disorder or anticoagulant use
  • Those with contralateral phrenic nerve palsy or a serious pulmonary diagnosis
  • Those with a history of chronic opioid use or neuropathic pain

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: 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: Interscalene block
In the preoperative period, 10 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine will be injected between C5 and C6 using an in-plane technique guided by a linear ultrasound (US) probe.
Procedure: Interscalene block
Interscalene block will be performed, under US guidance, before the surgical operation, and when the patient is placed in the supine position.
Active Comparator: Anterior suprascapular block
A linear ultrasound probe will be positioned in the supraclavicular fossa, parallel to the clavicle. The suprascapular nerve will be identified as a hyperechoic oval structure deep to the omohyoid muscle and posterior-lateral to the brachial plexus. 10 mL of local anesthetic will be injected under the omohyoid muscle, around the suprascapular nerve.
Procedure: Anterior suprascapular block
Anterior suprascapular block will be performed, under US guidance, before the surgical operation, and when the patient is placed in the supine position.
Active Comparator: Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block
A linear ultrasound probe will be placed sagittally, near the axillary region, just below the coracoid process. The subscapularis muscle and its tendon will be visualized. The target area is the space between the deep fascia of the subscapularis muscle and the anterior surface of the shoulder joint capsule. The needle will pass the subscapularis muscle and be guided into the plane between the capsule and the muscle, where 20 mL of local anesthetic will be dispensed to block the articular branches innervating the capsule.
Procedure: Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block
Pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block will be performed, under US guidance, before the surgical operation, and when the patient is placed in the supine position.

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: First hour after the surgery
Pain will be assessed at rest and while coughing using the visual analog scale on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 100 (worst pain) at the first postoperative hour.
First hour after the surgery

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
Pain scores
Time Frame: First 24 hours after surgery
Pain will be assessed at rest and while coughing using the visual analog scale on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 100 (worst pain). Pain assessment will be done at the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 12th, and 24th hours after surgery.
First 24 hours after surgery
Forced vital capacity (FVC) (volume)
Time Frame: Perioperative period
Forced vital capacity (FVC) (volume) will be evaluated during the perioperative period. Measurements will be performed before block administration (baseline), at 30 minutes after the block, and at postoperative 1, 12, and 24 hours.
Perioperative period
Forced expiratory flow in 1 s (FEV1) (volume)
Time Frame: Perioperative period
Forced expiratory flow in 1 s (FEV1) (volume) will be evaluated during the perioperative period. Measurements will be performed before block administration (baseline), at 30 minutes after the block, and at postoperative 1, 12, and 24 hours.
Perioperative period
FEV1/FVC
Time Frame: Perioperative period
FEV1/FVC will be evaluated during the perioperative period. Measurements will be performed before block administration (baseline), at 30 minutes after the block, and at postoperative 1, 12, and 24 hours.
Perioperative period

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.
Atatürk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research 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.
February 23, 2026

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.
November 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.
November 30, 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).
February 13, 2026

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.
February 23, 2026

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 24, 2026

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.
February 24, 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.
February 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.
February 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.
  • AEŞH-EK-2026-020

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.

Clinical Trials on Postoperative Pain

Clinical Trials on Interscalene block

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

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