Evaluating the Effectiveness of Postoperative Analgesic Methods in Thoracotomy Cases

March 19, 2026 updated by: Denizhan Acar

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block and Thoracic Epidural Analgesia Methods in Patients Undergoing Thoracotomy

Effective control of severe post-thoracotomy pain is pivotal for minimizing pulmonary complications and enhancing patient comfort. This prospective, randomized, three-arm study compared the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block (ESPB) and thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) with conventional intravenous opioid-based care. Seventy-two ASA I-II patients aged 18-80 years undergoing elective thoracotomy were block-randomized to receive TEA, ESPB, or no regional intervention (control). All procedures were performed at the end of surgery before emergence from anesthesia. Pain intensity was assessed at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Additional outcomes included time to first rescue opioid, total tramadol consumption, time to modified Aldrete score (MAS) ≥ 9, patient satisfaction, and length of hospital stay.

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.

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.
Observational

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.
72

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)
    • Merkez
      • Edirne, Merkez, Turkey (Türkiye), 22020
        • Trakya University Faculty of Medicine Hospital

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

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

patients who will undergo thoracotomy surgery

Description

Inclusion Criteria: ASA I-II, Age Range 18-80 years old

-

Exclusion Criteria:GKS < 15 LIVER, HEART, LUNG, KIDNEY FAILURE PREGNANCY TRAUMA NEUROLOGICAL DEFICIT

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
TEA ANALGESİA
PATIENTS WHO UNDERWENT TEA AFTER THORACOTOMY CASES
TEA BLOCK
ATIENTS RECEIVING INTRAVENOUS ANALGESIA AFTER THORACOTOMY CASES
İV ANALGESİA
PATIENTS RECEIVING INTRAVENOUS ANALGESICS AFTER THORACOTOMY CASES

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 regional techniques
Time Frame: THE FIRST 24 HOURS AFTER THORACOTOMY SURGERY
The analgesic efficacy of TEA and ESP blocks after thoracotomy surgeries was evaluated at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively in terms of VAS scores and analgesic drug consumption. The frequency and amount of tramadol and fentanyl analgesic drug consumption were recorded in the postoperative period. VAS scores were monitored at the specified times. The results were compared, and analgesic efficacy was evaluated. In addition, patient satisfaction (1: excellent, 2: good, 3: moderate, 4: poor), intensive care unit and hospital stay, and postoperative recovery time (using the modified aldarate score) were evaluated.
THE FIRST 24 HOURS AFTER THORACOTOMY 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.
Denizhan Acar

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, 2023

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.
May 20, 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 12, 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).
March 10, 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.
March 14, 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.
March 19, 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.
March 23, 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 19, 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

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.
  • TUTF-GOBAEK 2023/190 (Other Identifier: Trakya University Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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