The Clinical Impact of Serratus Anterior VS. Erector Spinae Plane Block on Pain Management of Tube Thoracostomy in Emergency Department Patients.

September 11, 2026 updated by: Arwa Salah Abdelaziz Ali, Assiut University
In the emergency department, tube thoracostomy is a common critical procedure to manage symptomatic pleural issues such as pneumothorax and pleural effusion.[1] This technique employed to remove air or fluid from the pleural cavity, restore negative intrapleural pressure and let the lungs expand again to help normal cardiopulmonary function to be restored again. [2] However, the procedure is often associated with significant pain, with approximately 50% of patients reporting pain levels between 9-10 out of 10 during the intervention, and for pain management emergency physicians have traditionally combined local anesthetics with opioids or anxiolytics. Yet, these methods have notable drawbacks: opioids carry risks of addiction and adverse side effects (e.g., nausea/vomiting, respiratory depression, delirium), while procedural sedation is time-intensive, requires monitoring, and carries risks of complications such as apnea and hypotension.[3] Local anesthetic infiltration for pain management can also fail to effectively and evenly target the intercostal nerves responsible for chest wall sensation.[4] Ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks (erector spinae plane and serratus plane blocks) have recently been proposed as targeted alternatives for reliable and extended pain control of tube thoracostomy as each block produces a unique distribution of anesthesia. [5] Despite establishing of these techniques for pain control during thoracic surgeries, its application in emergency settings for tube thoracostomy is underexplored enough yet [6], a gap explicitly identified in the recent literature.[4] Therefore, in this study we evaluate the impact of ESP and SAP block for pain management and overall quality of recovery which practically performed by emergency physicians.

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

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Study Type

Study Type

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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.
80

Phase

Phase

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  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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Study Contact

Study Contact

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Study Locations

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged ≥18 to =<60 years presenting to the ED requiring tube thoracostomy.
  • hemodynamically stable (systolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg).
  • Able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Tension pneumothorax or hemodynamic instability requiring immediate tube insertion without time for block performance.
  • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to local anesthetics.
  • Infection or cellulitis overlying the intended needle insertion site.
  • Chronic opioid use/dependence, or substance use disorder that would confound pain and opioid-consumption outcomes.
  • Psychiatric illness, cognitive impairment, intoxication, or severe traumatic brain injury (GCS < 13) precluding reliable pain-score reporting or informed consent.
  • Body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m² (sonoanatomic landmarks less reliable).
  • Patients with spinal injury.
  • Patinets with fracture rib.

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.
Experimental: ESPB
Procedure: Erector Spinae Plane Block
Ultrasound-guided fascial plane block,Erector spinae plane block for reliable and extended pain control of tube thoracostomy using 20-30 mL of bupivacaine 0.25%.
Experimental: SAPB
Procedure: serratus anterior plane blocks
Ultrasound-guided fascial plane block,serratus plane blocks for reliable and extended pain control of tube thoracostomy using 20-30 mL of bupivacaine 0.25%

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
Time Frame
Intraprocedural pain score (NRS 0-10) recorded immediately after tube insertion and pleural fixation.
Time Frame: 24 HR
24 HR

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
Time Frame
Total rescue opioid/sedative dose.
Time Frame: 24 HR
24 HR
Time required to perform the block (needle-in to needle-out).
Time Frame: first 24 HR
first 24 HR
procedure-related complications (pneumothorax, hematoma, local anesthetic systemic toxicity, block failure).
Time Frame: first 24 HR
first 24 HR

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

Publications and helpful links

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General Publications

Study record dates

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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.
June 1, 2027

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.
December 30, 2029

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 30, 2029

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 11, 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 11, 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 17, 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 17, 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 11, 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

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.
  • Tube thoracostomy pain control

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

all collected IPD

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

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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