Liposomal Bupivacaine vs Peripheral Nerve Block

January 27, 2023 updated by: Geisinger Clinic
Liposomal bupivacaine has gained interest in recent literature for its potential to be an effective adjunct to other pain control modalities in a multi-modal approach to post-operative pain control. The goal of this investigation is to compare the efficacy of local administration of liposomal bupivacaine versus the efficacy of a peripheral nerve block in terms of post-operative pain scores after elective ankle and hindfoot surgery. The investigators hypothesize that there will not be a significant difference in the pain scores of these two groups in opioid naïve patients.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Liposomal bupivacaine has gained interest in recent literature for its potential to be an effective adjunct to other pain control modalities in a multi-modal approach to post-operative pain control. Liposomal bupivacaine is an analgesic that is suspended in lipids to allow for gradual release of the analgesic over a 72-hour period (NAMDARI). From prior literature, the utilization of local analgesics infiltrated into surgical sites have been shown to reduce pain in the immediate post-operative period in foot and ankle surgery (GADEK). However, the evaluation of liposomal bupivacaine in foot and ankle surgery is limited. One prospective study found that the addition to liposomal bupivacaine to a multi-modal pain management protocol for forefoot surgery resulted in decreased pain scores during the first four post-operative days as well as fewer refills of opioid pain medication prescriptions, although both findings were not statically significant (ROBBINS). As the general medical community and public policy makers continue to focus on decreasing the amount of opioid pain medications prescribed and available in the community due to the opioid epidemic, liposomal bupivacaine has the potential to be a useful adjunct in the management of post-operative pain without reliance on opioid prescriptions. The goal of this investigation is to compare the efficacy of local administration of liposomal bupivacaine versus the efficacy of a peripheral nerve block in terms of post-operative pain scores after elective ankle and hindfoot surgery. The investigators hypothesize that there will not be a significant difference in the pain scores of these two groups in opioid naïve patients. Furthermore, this study aims to determine if there are differences in the amount of opioid medications utilized for post-operative pain control, patient satisfaction scores, functional outcomes, complications, and unscheduled healthcare contact between the two groups. In order to accomplish these aims, a randomized, controlled investigation will be conducted.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

1

Phase

  • Phase 4

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

    • Pennsylvania
      • Danville, Pennsylvania, United States, 17821
        • Geisinger Woodbine

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients 18 years of age or older
  2. Patients undergoing elective primary ankle or hindfoot surgery (ankle arthrodesis, subtalar arthrodesis, triple arthrodesis, total ankle arthroplasty, peroneal tendon debridement/transfer, Cavus Reconstruction, Medial Displacement Calcaneal Osteotomy, Dwyer Osteotomy)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients who are undergoing revision surgical procedure
  2. Patients who have taken opioid pain medications in the past 3 months prior to surgical procedure
  3. Patients who have allergies to any of the medications or components of medications investigated in the study
  4. Patients currently incarcerated
  5. Patients who cannot read and speak English

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Liposomal Bupivacaine Group
No peripheral nerve block will be given. Local infiltration of 20cc of Liposomal Bupivacaine infiltrated to the surgical area.
Local infiltration of 20cc of Liposomal Bupivacaine infiltrated to the surgical area
Active Comparator: Peripheral Nerve Block Group
Peripheral Nerve Block performed by anesthesia team (blocks will be given by same anesthesia provider utilizing same technique every time in order to reduce variations in delivery of peripheral nerve block). No local analgesic agent infiltration
Peripheral Nerve Block performed by anesthesia team (blocks will be given by same anesthesia provider utilizing same technique every time in order to reduce variations in delivery of peripheral nerve block).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale Pain Score
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 weeks
Best 0-10 worst - Continuous scale to measure current pain level
Baseline and 6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Morphine Equivalents
Time Frame: 0-6 weeks
morphine equivalents consumed for post-operative pain control
0-6 weeks
Investigator-developed, Pain Satisfaction Score
Time Frame: 0-6 weeks
asks patients to rate their level of satisfaction with their pain control on a scale of 0-10, 0 being not satisfied at all and 10 being highly satisfied
0-6 weeks
Range of Motion
Time Frame: 0-6 weeks
range of motion measured using goniometer
0-6 weeks
Number of Participants With Complications
Time Frame: 6 weeks
complications after surgery including infection and delayed healing
6 weeks
Number of Participants With Unscheduled Healthcare Contact
Time Frame: 6 weeks
unscheduled healthcare contact includes patient calls/messages, emergency room visits, or scheduled clinic visits
6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Gerard Cush, MD, Geisinger Clinic

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)

January 23, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 17, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 17, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

April 22, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 23, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 27, 2023

Last Verified

January 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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