Heart drug could replace morphine in gallbladder surgery recovery

NCT ID NCT07019818

Symptom relief Sponsor: University Hospital, Limoges Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a heart medication called esmolol can replace the morphine-like drug sufentanil during gallbladder surgery to improve recovery. About 120 adults having outpatient gallbladder surgery will receive either esmolol or sufentanil. The goal is to see if esmolol provides similar pain control and comfort with fewer side effects like nausea and vomiting.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Esmolol (a heart-specific beta-blocker) and Sufentanil (a morphine-like painkiller)
What this could lead to: If esmolol works as well as sufentanil, it could offer a way to manage pain during surgery without morphine-related side effects like nausea and vomiting.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase study with only 120 participants. Esmolol may not control pain as effectively, and it can cause low blood pressure or breathing problems.

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 120 people

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

Started

Oct 2025

Expected to finish

Jan 2028

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 years and older

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: * Adult patients * ASA I to III * Scheduled outpatient cholecystectomy * General anesthesia with orotracheal intubation * Patient with signed consent * Patient affiliated to a social security scheme Exclusion Criteria: * Patients on beta-blockers * Uncontrolled hypertension * Contraindication to beta-blockers * Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to one of the excipients of sufentanil and esmolol * Pre-existing hemodynamic abnormality * Intubation planned to be difficult during the anaesthesia consultation * Severe obesity (BMI \> 35 kg/m2) * Pregnant or breast-feeding women * Patients deprived of liberty * Patients under guardianship

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As listed by the trial registrant

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

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery

How to take part

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

The places running it

2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

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Heart drug could replace morphine in gallbladder surgery recovery

What the study statuses mean