Erector Spinae Plane Block for Pain Control After Open Abdominal Surgery

March 13, 2026 updated by: Fatima Majeed, Fatima Memorial Hospital

Effect of Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block on Postoperative Opioid Consumption in Open Abdominal Surgeries Under General Anaesthesia

his randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of the bilateral erector spinae plane (ESP) block in reducing postoperative opioid consumption in patients undergoing open abdominal surgeries under general anesthesia

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Patients undergoing abdominal surgeries experience severe postoperative pain. Conventional pain management methods, including opiates, may pose significant side effects. This study addresses the imperative need for optimizing postoperative pain management by systematically investigating the analgesic effects and complications associated with the bilateral ESP block. The study involves 46 patients allocated into two groups using a lottery method: a control group receiving standard pain control treatment, and an erector spinae block group receiving a bilateral ESP block in addition to standard pain control treatment. Pain intensity will be evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours after the operation.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

46

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
        • Department of Anesthesia, Fatima Memorial Hospital

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) stage I-II.
  • Scheduled for abdominal surgery due to any indication.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of Diabetes
  • History of neuropathic diseases
  • History of gastrointestinal bleeding, peptic ulcer, or inflammatory bowel disease
  • History of long-term nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
  • History of chronic opioid analgesic use
  • History of severe hepatic or renal failure

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
Active Comparator: Control Group
Patients receiving standard pain control treatment. Postoperatively, patients receive 1000 mg of IV paracetamol every 6 hours. If a patient reports a Visual Analogue Score (VAS) exceeding five, they will receive rescue analgesia consisting of nalbuphine 4mg
Drug: Standard Postoperative Analgesia
Patients receive 1000 mg of IV paracetamol every 6 hours postoperatively. If a patient experiences a Visual Analogue Score (VAS) of more than five at any time, they receive rescue analgesia in the form of nalbuphine 4mg
Experimental: Erector Spinae Block Group
Patients receiving bilateral ESP block in addition to standard pain control treatment
Drug: Standard Postoperative Analgesia
Patients receive 1000 mg of IV paracetamol every 6 hours postoperatively. If a patient experiences a Visual Analogue Score (VAS) of more than five at any time, they receive rescue analgesia in the form of nalbuphine 4mg
Procedure: Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) Block
Administered after the induction of general anesthesia and before the surgical incision. Local anesthetic (0.25% ropivacaine or 0.25% bupivacaine) will be injected for a total of 20-40 mL

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Opioid Consumption
Time Frame: Within the first 24 hours after surgery
Assessed by the percentage of patients requiring rescue opioid analgesia. The need for rescue analgesia is determined by a Visual Analogue Score (VAS) greater than five
Within the first 24 hours after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Fatima Memorial Hospital

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)

October 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 13, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • FMH-15/12/2025-IRB-1840

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

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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