Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Epidural or Opioid-Sparing? trial tests which pain plan wins after hernia surgery

NCT ID NCT07840183

Symptom relief Sponsor: Northwestern University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers compare two ways to manage pain after open ventral hernia repair with transversus abdominis release, a major abdominal operation. One method uses a thoracic epidural catheter to deliver bupivacaine and fentanyl around the spine. The other avoids the epidural and relies on non-opioid pain medicines plus a numbing injection into the abdominal wall during surgery. Adults scheduled for this repair join the trial and are assigned by chance to one of the two methods. The team tracks pain scores and opioid use during the hospital stay and checks recovery and side effects 30 days after surgery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
thoracic epidural analgesia with bupivacaine and fentanyl, compared with an opioid-sparing protocol of non-opioid medicines plus a numbing injection into the abdominal wall
What this could lead to
If the opioid-sparing approach works as well as an epidural, patients could recover from major hernia surgery with less reliance on opioids and fewer epidural-related complications.
What could go wrong
This is a small Phase 4 trial of 40 people at one center, so results may not apply to all patients or hospitals. Epidurals carry risks such as low blood pressure, nerve irritation, or infection, and the opioid-sparing approach may not control pain well enough for everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 4

Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.

Participants

About 40 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Nov 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female patients ≥18 years old * Symptomatic incisional ventral or parastomal hernias * Planned transversus abdominis release * Ability to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindications to epidural placement * Chronic pre-operative opioid use, defined as daily opioid use for 30-days prior to surgery * Allergy or intolerance to study medications * Age greater than 80 years * Impaired renal function - defined as creatinine clearance or estimated GFR of \<60ml/min * Planned ICU admissions with post-operative intubation * Urgent or emergent presentations * Adults unable to consent * Pregnant patients

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Postoperative pain are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Hernia, Ventral Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Postoperative pain Ventral hernia Ventral hernia repair

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Northwestern Memorial Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.