Efficacy of Ultrasound-guided External Oblique Intercostal Plane Block Versus Port-site Local Anesthetic Infiltration for Postoperative Analgesia and Pulmonary Function After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

September 7, 2026 updated by: Hazem Samir Mohamed Ahmed, Assiut University
Obesity poses severe global health risks and induces complex cardiorespiratory alterations, making perioperative care critical. For patients with morbid obesity, Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) is the most effective long-term treatment. However, despite being minimally invasive, LSG causes significant early postoperative pain from trocar insertion, pneumo-peritoneum, and visceral trauma. Uncontrolled pain can lead to impaired respiratory function, delayed recovery, and increased opioid-related side effects. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols emphasize opioid-sparing multimodal analgesia. While local port-site infiltration is inexpensive and simple, its effects are localized and short-lived, often requiring supplemental opioids. In contrast, the ultrasound-guided External Oblique Intercostal (EOI) block targets the fascial plane between the external oblique and intercostal muscles (T6-T10). It provides superficial, easily identifiable landmarks in obese patients and delivers widespread sensory blockade across the upper anterior abdominal wall. To evaluate superior pain management strategies, a prospective, randomized, controlled study compares the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided bilateral EOI block versus conventional port-site local anesthetic infiltration in patients undergoing elective LSG. Key Study Metrics (First 24 Postoperative Hours) Primary Outcomes: Total postoperative opioid consumption and pain scores. Secondary Outcomes: Time to first rescue analgesia, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), overall patient satisfaction, and recovery metrics. Ultimately, demonstrating the superior efficacy of the EOI block over port-site infiltration may refine perioperative analgesic protocols, reduce opioid dependence, and improve recovery outcomes in bariatric surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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.
54

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

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:

  • • Age 18-65 years

    • BMI between 35 kg/m2 and 40 kg/m²
    • ASA (I-II-III)
    • Elective laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
    • Ability to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Patient refusal

    • Allergy to local anesthetics
    • Coagulopathy
    • Infection at injection site
    • Chronic opioid use
    • Hepatic failure
    • Renal failure
    • Conversion to open surgery
    • OSAS-home CPAP
    • Cardiac patients
    • Super morbid >50 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: None (Open Label)

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: Group I
External Oblique Intercostal Block, EOI
Procedure: External Oblique Intercostal Block
ultrasound-guided external oblique intercostal block with 30 ml 0.25% bupivacaine bilaterally.
Active Comparator: Group II
Port-Site Local Anesthetic Infiltration
Procedure: Port-Site Local Anesthetic Infiltration
patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy receiving port-site infiltration with 5 ml 0.25% bupivacaine at each port site.

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
Total opioid consumption
Time Frame: 24 hours
Total opioid consumption (IV NALUFIN) during the first 24 postoperative hours
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.
Assiut University

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 (Estimated)

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.
October 1, 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.
October 1, 2027

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.
December 1, 2027

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).
September 7, 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.
September 7, 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.
September 11, 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.
September 11, 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.
September 7, 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.
September 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.
  • EOIPB VS Local Analgesia LSG

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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