A Trial Comparing Surgeon-administered TAP Block With Placebo After Midline Laparotomy in Gynecologic Oncology

NCT ID: NCT04202874

Last Updated: 2021-11-17

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

PHASE3

Total Enrollment

80 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-10-01

Study Completion Date

2021-12-31

Brief Summary

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Multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia is recommended in order to prevent post-operative complications and shorten length of stay. Administration by the surgeon of local anesthetics in the abdominal wall after surgery for a suspected gynaecological malignancy will be studied. Eighty women above the age of 18 and undergoing a midline laparotomy for a suspected gynecologic malignancy will be recruited. Half of these women will received a Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block using local anesthetics, and half will receive a placebo (saline water). The primary outcome studied will be the total dose of opioid in morphine equivalents received in the postoperative period. The primary hypothesis is that surgeon-performed TAP blocks reduce the need for opioids after surgery. Secondary outcomes including postoperative pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting rates, time to flatus, incidence of clinical ileus and time to discharge from hospital will also be recorded.

Detailed Description

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Multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia is recommended in order to prevent post-operative complications and shorten length of stay. While ultrasound-guided Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block has been shown to reduce postoperative opioid use, the time and expertise needed to perform it can be a barrier to administering the procedure. A surgeon-administered TAP block has been described, but has yet to be evaluated with a randomized controlled study in gynecology oncology patients undergoing a midline laparotomy. The investigators hypothesize that surgeon-administered TAP blocks may decrease total opioid use in the first 24 hours.

Eighty women above the age of 18 and undergoing a midline laparotomy for a suspected gynecologic malignancy will be recruited to undergo bilateral surgeon-administered TAP blocks with either 40ml of 0.25% bupivacaine or an equal volume of saline administered equally over both sides, prior to fascial closure. Exclusion criteria include inability to give informed consent, presence of contraindications or sensitivities to drugs specified in the protocol, pre-existing truncal sensory disturbance, history of chronic opioid use, infections at the injection site, significant adhesions on the anterior or lateral abdominal wall preventing access to the injection site, patients receiving neuraxial anesthesia (Epidural, Spinal) or local wound infiltration. The primary outcome studied will be the total dose of opioid in morphine equivalents received in the postoperative period. Secondary outcomes including postoperative pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting rates, time to flatus, incidence of clinical ileus and time to discharge from hospital will also be recorded.

Sample size calculation was based on a meta-analysis by Johns for use of TAP blocks in abdominal surgeries, that reported morphine equivalents mean at 24h as 20.6mg for the TAP group and 44.3mg for the control group (mean difference of 23mg in 24h), with a standard deviation of 14mg. To find a clinically significant decrease in opioid use of 20%, our primary outcome, with a 2-tailed analysis and power of 80%; the investigators would need 36 patients in each group. To account for potential dropouts and protocol violations, as well as secondary analyses, the investigators will recruit a total of 80 patients (40 in the TAP block group and 40 controls).

Differences in characteristics between treatment and control groups will be analysed using the chi-square test for dichotomous data, independent samples Student's t-test for parametric continuous variables, and Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametric continuous data. Test of normality will be performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. If there is significant (\>10%) missing data, data will be imputed by predictive mean matching. Subgroup analysis by type of incision (infraumbilical vs supraumbilical) will be performed.

Missing data and patterns will be assessed monthly by the data manager. Remedial measures, including retraining of staff, will be used as needed to minimize missing data. The investigators plan for an intention-to-treat analysis.

Conditions

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Genital Neoplasm Malignant Female Surgical Procedure, Unspecified

Keywords

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randomized controlled trial Transversus Abdominis Plane block

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Eighty women above the age of 18 and undergoing a midline laparotomy for a suspected gynecologic malignancy will be randomized to undergo a bilateral surgeon-administered Tranversus abdomens plane block with either 40ml of 0.25% bupivacaine or an equal volume of saline administered equally over both sides (placebo), prior to fascial closure. Forty patient will receive bupivacaine, and 40 patients will receive the placebo.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Outcome Assessors
The patient, surgeon, anesthesiologist, scrub nurse and outcome assessors will be blinded. The operating room circulating nurse, who will be providing the substance, will be unblinded. The investigators will be unblinded after data collection.

Study Groups

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Bupivacaine

Administration of 20ml of bupivacaine 0.25% on each side, for a total of 40ml.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Surgeon-administered transversus abdominis plane (TAP)

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Prior to fascial closure, the rectus muscle is gently elevated superiorly and the surgeon identifies its lateral border; the nerves that supply the anterior abdominal wall travel through the myofascial plane between internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles, 2 fingerbreadths above the iliac crest. Access to this plane can easily be achieved by inserting a blunted needle through the parietal peritoneum; there is an appreciable loss of resistance ('one pop') and the correct plane is entered. After careful aspiration to ensure no vascular injury has occurred, 20 mL 0.25% bupivacaine or 20 mL of normal saline is injected slowly. The same procedure is repeated on the other side.

Saline

Administration on 20ml of normal saline on each side, for a total of 40ml.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Surgeon-administered transversus abdominis plane (TAP)

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Prior to fascial closure, the rectus muscle is gently elevated superiorly and the surgeon identifies its lateral border; the nerves that supply the anterior abdominal wall travel through the myofascial plane between internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles, 2 fingerbreadths above the iliac crest. Access to this plane can easily be achieved by inserting a blunted needle through the parietal peritoneum; there is an appreciable loss of resistance ('one pop') and the correct plane is entered. After careful aspiration to ensure no vascular injury has occurred, 20 mL 0.25% bupivacaine or 20 mL of normal saline is injected slowly. The same procedure is repeated on the other side.

Interventions

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Surgeon-administered transversus abdominis plane (TAP)

Prior to fascial closure, the rectus muscle is gently elevated superiorly and the surgeon identifies its lateral border; the nerves that supply the anterior abdominal wall travel through the myofascial plane between internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles, 2 fingerbreadths above the iliac crest. Access to this plane can easily be achieved by inserting a blunted needle through the parietal peritoneum; there is an appreciable loss of resistance ('one pop') and the correct plane is entered. After careful aspiration to ensure no vascular injury has occurred, 20 mL 0.25% bupivacaine or 20 mL of normal saline is injected slowly. The same procedure is repeated on the other side.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients aged 18 and above undergoing elective gynecologic oncology surgery for a suspected malignancy using a midline laparotomy incision.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Patients unable to give informed consent
2. Patients with contraindications or sensitivities to drugs specified in the protocol
3. Pre-existing truncal sensory disturbance
4. History of chronic opioid use (daily use \> 3 months)
5. Infections at the injection site
6. Significant adhesions on the anterior abdominal wall preventing access to the injection site
7. Concurrent, non-abdominal surgical procedure performed at the same time
8. Patients receiving neuraxial anesthesia/analgesia (epidural, spinal) or local wound infiltration
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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McMaster University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Laurence Bernard

Fellow, Gynecology Oncology

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Clare Reade, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

McMaster University

Locations

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Juravinski Hospital

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Countries

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Canada

References

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Nelson G, Bakkum-Gamez J, Kalogera E, Glaser G, Altman A, Meyer LA, Taylor JS, Iniesta M, Lasala J, Mena G, Scott M, Gillis C, Elias K, Wijk L, Huang J, Nygren J, Ljungqvist O, Ramirez PT, Dowdy SC. Guidelines for perioperative care in gynecologic/oncology: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society recommendations-2019 update. Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2019 May;29(4):651-668. doi: 10.1136/ijgc-2019-000356. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30877144 (View on PubMed)

Rafi AN. Abdominal field block: a new approach via the lumbar triangle. Anaesthesia. 2001 Oct;56(10):1024-6. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2044.2001.02279-40.x. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11576144 (View on PubMed)

McDermott G, Korba E, Mata U, Jaigirdar M, Narayanan N, Boylan J, Conlon N. Should we stop doing blind transversus abdominis plane blocks? Br J Anaesth. 2012 Mar;108(3):499-502. doi: 10.1093/bja/aer422. Epub 2012 Jan 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22236911 (View on PubMed)

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Ravichandran NT, Sistla SC, Kundra P, Ali SM, Dhanapal B, Galidevara I. Laparoscopic-assisted Tranversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block Versus Ultrasonography-guided Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Postlaparoscopic Cholecystectomy Pain Relief: Randomized Controlled Trial. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2017 Aug;27(4):228-232. doi: 10.1097/SLE.0000000000000405.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28472015 (View on PubMed)

Baeriswyl M, Kirkham KR, Kern C, Albrecht E. The Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound-Guided Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Adult Patients: A Meta-Analysis. Anesth Analg. 2015 Dec;121(6):1640-54. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000000967.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Charlton S, Cyna AM, Middleton P, Griffiths JD. Perioperative transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks for analgesia after abdominal surgery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010 Dec 8;(12):CD007705. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007705.pub2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Siddiqui MR, Sajid MS, Uncles DR, Cheek L, Baig MK. A meta-analysis on the clinical effectiveness of transversus abdominis plane block. J Clin Anesth. 2011 Feb;23(1):7-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2010.05.008.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Chang H, Rimel BJ, Li AJ, Cass I, Karlan BY, Walsh C. Ultrasound guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block utilization in multimodal pain management after open gynecologic surgery. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2018 Oct 15;26:75-77. doi: 10.1016/j.gore.2018.10.007. eCollection 2018 Nov.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Narasimhulu DM, Scharfman L, Minkoff H, George B, Homel P, Tyagaraj K. A randomized trial comparing surgeon-administered intraoperative transversus abdominis plane block with anesthesiologist-administered transcutaneous block. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2018 Aug;35:26-32. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2018.04.007. Epub 2018 Apr 27.

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Bernard L, Lavecchia M, Trepanier G, Mah S, Pokoradi A, McGinnis JM, Alyafi M, Glezerson B, Nguyen J, Carlson V, Helpman L, Elit L, Jimenez W, Eiriksson L, Reade CJ. A double-blinded, randomized trial comparing surgeon-administered transversus abdominis plane block with placebo after midline laparotomy in gynecologic oncology surgery. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023 May;228(5):553.e1-553.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.010. Epub 2023 Feb 14.

Reference Type DERIVED
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Other Identifiers

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8302

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id