Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Stellate Ganglion Block in Cardiac Surgery Anesthesia on Postoperative Recovery: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind Trial (ECLAIR)

June 24, 2026 updated by: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon

Heart surgery is a complex and delicate procedure that affects more than one million people worldwide each year. Patients who undergo this surgery are generally elderly and have multiple comorbidities, which places them in high-risk categories (ASA III or IV). This frailty, combined with a loss of physiological reserve, makes these patients particularly vulnerable to postoperative complications, which can range from cardiovascular disorders to neurological, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, infectious, and hematological complications.

In this context, the quality of postoperative recovery is crucial because it reflects the patient's postoperative health status. The quality of recovery encompasses several dimensions, such as pain, return to independence, sleep quality, and mental state. Optimal anesthesia-which goes beyond simply minimizing pain-requires proactive management of all these dimensions. Current research in cardiac surgery focuses on optimizing anesthesia strategies, particularly the choice between opioid and non-opioid anesthesia, as well as the complementary use of regional analgesia. However, studies providing clear recommendations on these topics are still limited.

Among the techniques explored, the ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block (SGB) stands out due to its numerous positive clinical effects. This block, which involves the ultrasound-guided injection of a local anesthetic into the stellate ganglion, produces a temporary sympathetic block that reduces the activity of the autonomic nervous system during surgery. Several studies suggest that SGB could significantly improve the quality of postoperative recovery, particularly in terms of pain reduction, sleep quality, and a lower incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. A meta-analysis has shown that SGB promotes the recovery of gastrointestinal function following various surgical procedures. In major thoracic surgery, it has been observed that SGB reduces the incidence of perioperative atrial and ventricular fibrillation.

Although these results are promising, data from randomized trials in cardiac surgery are still limited. A pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and safety of SGB in this type of surgery, with a reduced incidence of atrial fibrillation. However, further studies are essential to confirm these results and assess the impact of SGB on the quality of recovery following anesthesia in cardiac surgery.

The hypothesis of this study is that performing a stellate ganglion block during general anesthesia improves the quality of recovery in all its aspects (pain, well-being, sleep, etc.). This hypothesis warrants in-depth exploration to optimize postoperative care and improve long-term outcomes for patients undergoing complex cardiac surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

250

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 Locations

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:

  • Individuals who have provided their free and informed written consent
  • Age ≥18 years
  • Patients scheduled to undergo elective cardiac surgery (≥24 hours) with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB): valve surgery, aorto-coronary bypass surgery, or combined surgery (>2 procedures)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Adult under guardianship
  • Patient not enrolled in a social security program
  • Patient who has previously been included in the study (e.g., repeat surgery)
  • Patient with hypersensitivity to local anesthetics or to any of the excipients in the products used
  • Preoperative AC/FA
  • Hypovolemia
  • Severe hypotension
  • Acute porphyria
  • Pregnant, laboring, or breastfeeding women

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Ultrasound-Guided Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) Group under general anesthesia
Procedure: Elective surgery (≥ 24 hours) with cardiopulmonary bypass (more than 2 procedures)
Patient scheduled to undergo surgery (≥ 24 hours) involving cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for more than two procedures
Other: Control group under general anesthesia
Procedure: Elective surgery (≥ 24 hours) with cardiopulmonary bypass (more than 2 procedures)
Patient scheduled to undergo surgery (≥ 24 hours) involving cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for more than two procedures

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Score obtained on the validated psychometric scale F-QoR-15 (French Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire) at 24 hours post-surgery in the intervention group (general anesthesia + ultrasound-guided nerve block), compared with the control group (general an
Time Frame: 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

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon

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)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 30, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 24, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BAHR PHRCI 2024

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.

Clinical Trials on Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in South Africa

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe