Nerve Block for Severe Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department (ESPB)

September 16, 2026 updated by: Megan Guy, University of California, Irvine

Erector Spinae Plane Block for Patients With Intractable Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Study

Currently, the standard treatment of nonsurgical abdominal pain in the Emergency Department (ED) includes narcotic pain medication. This can be addictive and contributes to the current opioid epidemic. Recent studies have shown that the Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) is an alternative approach to achieving abdominal analgesia without the use of any systemic pain medications. It is a regional nerve block that can be used by emergency medicine physicians by injecting anesthetic into the erector spinae plane under ultrasound guidance, which effectively anesthetizes the abdomen. This procedure is within the scope of practice of Emergency Medicine residents, fellows, and attendings who have received training in Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) and who have also received specialized training on how to perform the ESPB under ultrasound guidance. Adult patients will be screened for intractable abdominal pain (persistent pain despite systemic pain medications) and eligibility to receive the nerve block (for example, patients cannot be pregnant, must be able to verbalize pain and satisfaction scores, and must have no contraindication to receiving the nerve block). In this study, the investigators will perform a small pilot study to determine how effective the ESPB is compared to systemic pain medications, and how easy or difficult it is to perform the ESPB in the Emergency Department as a means of controlling abdominal pain.

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.

Detailed Description

This study takes an effectiveness-implementation Hybrid Type 2 trial design with a dual purpose: (i) to examine the effectiveness of the Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) compared to standard systemic pain medication in patients with intractable, nonsurgical abdominal pain in the Emergency Department (ED); and (ii) to qualitatively analyze the feasibility of implementing the ESPB in the Emergency Department as a means of controlling abdominal pain. The investigators hypothesize that patients with intractable, nonsurgical abdominal pain who receive the ESPB will have non-inferior pain scores compared to patients who receive systemic pain medications. The investigators further hypothesize that patients who receive the ESPB will require fewer Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) to achieve abdominal pain control than patients who do not receive the ESPB. The investigators aim to identify potential challenges that could affect the feasibility of implementing the ESPB in the Emergency Department setting, such as time constraints, lack of provider willingness to perform the block, lack of patient willingness to receive the block, and difficulty finding the appropriate supplies.

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.
30

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.
  • Early Phase 1

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 Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Orange, California, United States, 92868
        • Recruiting
        • UC Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine

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:

  • Over 18 years of age
  • Abdominal pain that is intractable, defined as pain persisting despite administration of more than one dose of narcotic medication
  • Nonsurgical abdominal pain, determined by either a benign abdominal exam not warranting a computed tomography (CT) scan, or a CT scan showing no identifiable surgical process
  • Patient may present from the Emergency Department (ED) or may be an admitted inpatient

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under 18 years of age
  • Pregnant, confirmed by a positive pregnancy test sent on all female patients of childbearing age presenting with abdominal pain
  • Psychiatric patients
  • Unable to verbalize a pain score, or impaired decision-making capacity (e.g., obtunded, intoxicated, lethargic, critically ill, intubated, or cognitively impaired)
  • Any contraindication to nerve blocks, such as infection overlying the injection site, a bleeding disorder, or an allergy to anesthetic
  • Surgical abdomen requiring serial abdominal exams

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.
Experimental: Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB)
Patients receive the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) via ultrasound-guided injection of bupivacaine, with systemic analgesics provided as needed if pain persists.
Drug: Bupivacaine (erector spinae plane block)
Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) performed with injection of bupivacaine, administered in place of standard systemic pain medication.
No Intervention: Standard Systemic Pain Medication
Patients receive standard-of-care systemic pain medication (non-opioid analgesics or opioids such as Norco/hydrocodone-acetaminophen).

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
Change in Pain Score
Time Frame: Baseline (time of consent), 30 minutes post-intervention, and 3 hours post-intervention
Change from baseline in patient-reported pain intensity, measured on a standardized Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). Higher scores indicate greater pain.
Baseline (time of consent), 30 minutes post-intervention, and 3 hours post-intervention

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
Patient Satisfaction Score
Time Frame: Prior to Emergency Department discharge, up to 24 hours
Patient-reported satisfaction with pain management, measured on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) ranging from 0 (not at all satisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied). Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.
Prior to Emergency Department discharge, up to 24 hours
Total Emergency Department Length of Stay
Time Frame: From Emergency Department arrival to disposition, up to 24 hours
Total time in hours from Emergency Department (ED) arrival to ED disposition.
From Emergency Department arrival to disposition, up to 24 hours
Time Required to Perform the Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB)
Time Frame: At the time of the procedure, up to 3 hours
Time in minutes required to complete the ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) procedure, reported by operator training level (resident, fellow, or attending).
At the time of the procedure, up to 3 hours
Number of Participants With Pneumothorax
Time Frame: Through Emergency Department stay, up to 24 hours
Number of participants with pneumothorax identified as a complication of the erector spinae plane block (ESPB).
Through Emergency Department stay, up to 24 hours
Number of Participants With Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST)
Time Frame: Through Emergency Department stay, up to 24 hours
Number of participants meeting clinical criteria for Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST), including cardiac dysrhythmia or seizure.
Through Emergency Department stay, up to 24 hours
Number of Participants With Opioid-Related Adverse Events
Time Frame: Through Emergency Department stay, up to 24 hours
Number of participants experiencing an adverse event attributed to systemic opioid analgesia.
Through Emergency Department stay, up to 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.
University of California, Irvine

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Abdelhamid, K., ElHawary, H., & Turner, J. P. (2020). The Use of the Erector Spinae Plane Block to Decrease Pain and Opioid Consumption in the Emergency Department: A Literature Review. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 58(4), 603-609. Ashworth, H., Sanders, N., Mantuani, D., & Nagdev, A. (2022). Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block in Emergency Department for Abdominal Malignancy Pain: A Case Report. Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine, 6(4), 315-318. Gopinath, B., Nayaka, R., Kuruvila, R., & Bhoi, S. (2022). Alleviating Refractory Abdominal Pain in Cholangiocarcinoma Using Erector Spinae Plane Block in the Emergency Department. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 62(3), 393-396. Intermite, C., Vetrugno, L., Pecori, D., Pizzolitto, S., & Bove, T. (2020). Erector spinae plane block for abdominal cancer pain: a case report of effective management. Minerva Anestesiologica, 86(12), 1354-1356. Chung, K., Choi, S. T., Jun, E. H., Choi, S. G., & Kim, E. D. (2021). Role of erector spinae plane block in controlling functional abdominal pain: Case reports. Medicine, 100(39), e27335. Das, S., Chatterjee, N., & Mitra, S. (2023). Managing acute pancreatitis pain with bilateral erector spinae plane catheters in a patient allergic to opioids and NSAIDS: A case report. Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia, 17(1), 87-90. Aréchiga-Ornelas, G. E., et al. (2022). Erector Spinae Plane Block in pediatric cancer pain: Case report. Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology, 50(2). Elkoundi, A., Eloukkal, Z., Bensghir, M., Belyamani, L., & Lalaoui, S. J. (2019). Erector spinae plane block for hyperalgesic acute pancreatitis. Pain Medicine, 20(5), 1055-1056. Allos, M. T., Zukowski, D. M., & Fidkowski, C. W. (2021). Erector Spinae Plane Continuous Catheters for Refractory Abdominal Pain Related to Necrotizing Pancreatitis: A Case Report. A&A Practice, 15(11), e01543. Mantuani, D., Josh Luftig, P. A., Herring, A., Mian, M., & Nagdev, A. (2020). Successful emergency pain control for acute panc

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.
October 11, 2024

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 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).
August 12, 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 16, 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 16, 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

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.
  • 2529 (Saudi food and drug authority)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The investigators do not plan to share individual participant data (IPD).

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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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