Ultrasound-guided Erector Spinae Block Versus Quadratus Lumborum Block for Laparotomies

Ultrasound-guided Erector Spinae Block Versus Quadratus Lumborum Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparotomies: Randomized Controlled Study

The study aimed to compare the effect of ESP block and QL block in preventing postoperative pain and decreasing analgesic consumption in patients scheduled for laparotomies.

This prospective randomized controlled study will be done after obtaining ethics committee's permission and written informed consent of the patients 60 adult patients aged 18-60 years scheduled for open laparotomies under general anesthesia will be included in this study.

According to the used technique, the patients will be randomly allocated into 3 parallel equal groups (20 patients in each one).

Group I (ES group): the patients will receive bilateral ESP block. Group II (QL group): the patients will receive bilateral QL block. Group III (control group): the patients will not receive any regional block.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Analgesia
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: erector spinae plane block; Procedure: Quadratus lumborum plane block; Other: placebo

Detailed Description

Postoperative pain management is one of the most important issues influencing the outcome of surgery. Postoperative pain, especially when poorly controlled, results in harmful acute effects such as adverse physiological responses and chronic effects like delayed long term recovery and chronic pain.the investigators aimed to compare the effect of ESP block and QL block in preventing postoperative pain and decreasing analgesic consumption in patients scheduled for laparotomies.

Primary outcome:

Total analgesic consumption in the first 24hrs postoperative.

Secondary outcomes:

1. Time of first analgesic request.
2. Visual analogue pain score in the first 24hrs postoperative
3. Incidence of any side effects. All patients will be premedicated using midazolam 0.03 mg /kg iv upon arrival to the operating room then standard monitoring which included SPO2, ECG, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring will be applied. All patients will receive the same anesthetic technique. Following anesthesia induction using 1-2 mcg/kg fentanyl, 2- 3 mg/kg propofol, and 0.5 mg/kg atracurium, the patients will be intubated and maintenance of anesthesia will be done by Isoflurane (MAC 1.2) and intermittent doses of atracurium to maintain adequate muscle relaxation. All hemodynamics will be measured before and after induction of general anesthesia and then every 5 min till end of surgery.

In ES group: superficial probe will be placed 2-3 cm lateral to the spine using a sagittal approach at the level of T7. After identification of erector spinae muscle and transverse processes, the needle will be inserted deeply into the erector spinae muscle. Correct position of the needle tip is confirmed with administration of 0.5-1 ml of local anesthetic (LA), and 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be administered to perform ESP block. LA spread to both cranial and caudal directions will be seen.

In QL group: A curved array transducer for the transmuscular QL (TQL) nerve block is placed in the axial plane on the patient's flank just cranial to the iliac crest. The "shamrock sign" is visualized: The transverse process of vertebra L4 is the stem, whereas the erector spinae posteriorly, QL laterally, and psoas major anteriorly represents the three leaves of the trefoil. The target for injection is the fascial plane between the QL and psoas major muscles. The needle is inserted using an in-plane technique from the posterior end of the transducer through the QL muscle. The injectate (20ml of bupivacaine 0.25%) should ideally spread from the injection site inside the fascial plane between the QL and psoas major muscles to the thoracic paravertebral space with a goal to accomplish segmental somatic and visceral analgesia from T4 to L1.

Before the end of the surgery all patients will receive 1g of paracetamol IV, at the end of the surgery reversal of neuromuscular blockade will be done by neostigmine and atropine and then the patients will be transferred to recovery room. 30 mg of ketorolac will be given to all patients every 8 hrs.

Parameters will be assessed:

Intraoperative:

Hemodynamics after induction of anesthesia, after block and then every 15min till the end of surgery.

Postoperative:

1. Hemodynamics immediately after recovery and then 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20and 24 hrs postoperative.
2. VAS in the same previous intervals.
3. Time of first analgesic request.
4. Total analgesic requirement in the first 24 hrs. postoperative.
5. Incidence of side effects.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Minia
    • Minya, Minia, Egypt, 61111
      • Minia University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18-60 years.
• ASA I-II.
• Both sexes.
• Open laparotomies.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patient refusal
2. Allergy to local anesthetics
3. BMI >40 kg/m2
4. Bleeding diathesis or history of anticoagulant use.
5. Psychiatric diseases.
6. Infection of the skin at the site of needle punctures area.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Erector spinae plane block (ESPB); 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be administered to perform ESP block on each side	Procedure: erector spinae plane block; Superficial probe will be placed 2-3 cm lateral to the spine using a sagittal approach at the level of T8. After identification of erector spinae muscle and transverse processes, the needle will be inserted deeply into the erector spinae muscle. Correct position of the needle tip is confirmed with administration of 0.5-1 ml of local anesthetic (LA), and 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine will be administered to perform ESP block. LA spread to both cranial and caudal directions will be seen.
Experimental: Quadratus lumborum plane block (QLPB); The injectate (20ml of bupivacaine 0.25%) should ideally spread from the injection site inside the fascial plane between the QL and psoas major muscles to the thoracic paravertebral space with a goal to accomplish segmental somatic and visceral analgesia from T4 to L1.	Procedure: Quadratus lumborum plane block; A curved array transducer for the transmuscular QL (TQL) nerve block is placed in the axial plane on the patient's flank just cranial to the iliac crest. The "shamrock sign" is visualized: The transverse process of vertebra L4 is the stem, whereas the erector spinae posteriorly, QL laterally, and psoas major anteriorly represents the three leaves of the trefoil. The target for injection is the fascial plane between the QL and psoas major muscles. The needle is inserted using an in-plane technique from the posterior end of the transducer through the QL muscle. The injectate (20ml of bupivacaine 0.25%) should ideally spread from the injection site inside the fascial plane between the QL and psoas major muscles to the thoracic paravertebral space with a goal to accomplish segmental somatic and visceral analgesia from T4 to L1.
Placebo Comparator: Control group; patients received no regional block	Other: placebo; patients received no regional block

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Total analgesic consumption	total fentanyl consumption as rescue analgesia	24 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time of first analgesic request.	first dose of rescue analgesia	24 hours
dynamic Visual analogue pain score	degree of pain description on movement from (0-10 )which 0-3 is the no pain, 4-5 mild pain, 6-8 moderate pain and 9-10 severe pain	24 hours
resting Visual analogue pain score	degree of pain description on rest from (0-10 )which 0-3 is the no pain, 4-5 mild pain, 6-8 moderate pain and 9-10 severe pain	24 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Minia University
• Investigators: Study Chair: Shadwa R Mohamed, MD, Mina university hospital; Study Director: Ahmed H Mohamed, Minia Universiry hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 15, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 3, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 15, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): July 16, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 4, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 3, 2022
• Last Verified: November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: analgesia; postoperative pain; ESPB; QLPB
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Perceptual Disorders; Agnosia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 50:6/2021

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No