Effect of Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Block With Ropivacaine on Postoperative Pain and NF-κB Levels After Mastectomy

April 28, 2026 updated by: Aldy Aldy

Comparison of Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Block With Ropivacaine Versus No Block on Postoperative Pain, NF-κB Levels, Opioid Consumption, and Quality of Recovery in Patients Undergoing Elective Mastectomy

This study aims to evaluate the effect of continuous erector spinae plane block (CESPB) using ropivacaine on postoperative pain in patients undergoing elective mastectomy. In addition to pain control, this study investigates the impact of CESPB on systemic inflammatory response as measured by nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels, opioid consumption, and quality of recovery. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive CESPB or standard analgesia without block. Outcomes will be assessed within the first 24 hours after surgery. The findings are expected to provide evidence on the clinical and biological benefits of CESPB as part of multimodal analgesia in breast surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and frequently requires surgical management in the form of mastectomy. Postoperative pain following mastectomy remains a significant clinical problem, with a substantial proportion of patients experiencing moderate to severe pain. Inadequate pain control is associated with increased opioid consumption, delayed recovery, and a higher risk of developing chronic pain.

The inflammatory response plays an important role in postoperative pain, particularly through the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a key transcription factor that regulates pro-inflammatory mediators. Increased NF-κB activity has been associated with enhanced nociception and poorer recovery outcomes. Therefore, perioperative strategies that can reduce both pain and inflammatory response are of clinical importance.

Continuous erector spinae plane block (CESPB) is a regional anesthesia technique that provides multidermatomal analgesia by delivering local anesthetic into the fascial plane adjacent to the erector spinae muscle. Compared to single-shot techniques, CESPB using a catheter allows prolonged and stable analgesia. Ropivacaine is commonly used due to its favorable safety profile and potential anti-inflammatory effects.

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to compare CESPB using ropivacaine with standard analgesia without block in patients undergoing elective mastectomy. The primary outcome is postoperative pain intensity within 24 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes include NF-κB levels, opioid consumption, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and quality of recovery measured using the QoR-15 questionnaire.

By integrating clinical and biomolecular outcomes, this study aims to provide comprehensive evidence regarding the effectiveness of CESPB not only in pain control but also in modulating the inflammatory response and improving postoperative recovery.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: I Gusti Ngurah Mahaalit Aribawa, MD
  • Phone Number: +62811396811
  • Email: mahaalit@unud.ac.id

Study Locations

  • Indonesia
    • Bali
      • Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, 80113

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:

  • Female patients aged 18 to 65 years
  • Diagnosed with breast cancer
  • Scheduled for elective mastectomy under general anesthesia
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
  • Able to understand and provide written informed consent
  • Body mass index (BMI) 18-29 kg/m²

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindications to regional anesthesia
  • Contraindications or allergy to ropivacaine or local anesthetics
  • Inability to use a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain assessment
  • Inability to understand or operate patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)
  • History of chronic pain or ongoing infection requiring treatment
  • History of chronic analgesic use
  • History of autoimmune disease
  • Uncontrolled systemic disease

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Block With Ropivacaine
Participants will receive continuous erector spinae plane block using ropivacaine via catheter placement under ultrasound guidance, in addition to standard postoperative analgesia.
Procedure: Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Block
Ultrasound-guided placement of a catheter in the erector spinae plane for continuous regional analgesia.
Drug: Ropivacaine
Local anesthetic administered via continuous infusion through the erector spinae plane catheter for postoperative analgesia.
No Intervention: Standard Analgesia Without Block
Participants will receive standard postoperative analgesia according to institutional protocol, including oral paracetamol, intravenous ketorolac and opioid-based analgesia (patient-controlled analgesia with morphine), without erector spinae plane block.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 24 hours after surgery
Postoperative pain intensity measured using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 100 mm, where higher scores indicate greater pain.
24 hours after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Nuclear Factor Kappa B Levels From Baseline
Time Frame: Baseline and 24 hours after surgery
Change in nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels from baseline to 24 hours after surgery, measured in blood samples to assess systemic inflammatory response.
Baseline and 24 hours after surgery
Opioid Consumption
Time Frame: 24 hours after surgery
Total opioid consumption within the first 24 hours after surgery, converted to morphine equivalent dose.
24 hours after surgery
Quality of Recovery
Time Frame: 24 hours after surgery
Quality of recovery assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire, with higher scores indicating better recovery.
24 hours after surgery
Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Time Frame: 24 hours after surgery
Incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting within the first 24 hours after surgery.
24 hours after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Aldy Aldy

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Aldy Aldy, MD, Udayana University

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

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 (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 28, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CESPB-ALD-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to the presence of sensitive patient information and to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of research subjects in accordance with ethical guidelines.

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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