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Can a Longer-Lasting nerve block cut opioid use after spine surgery?

NCT ID NCT06350981

Symptom relief Sponsor: Foundation for Orthopaedic Research and Education Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether a nerve block using Exparel controls pain better than the standard bupivacaine block in adults having 1 to 3 level lumbar spinal fusion surgery. The trial enrolls 76 patients and measures pain scores, opioid use, hospital stay, and how quickly patients can move with physical therapy. The goal is to see if the longer-acting drug reduces pain and the need for narcotic painkillers 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
Exparel, a long-acting form of bupivacaine, compared with standard bupivacaine
What this could lead to
If Exparel works better, it could give spine surgery patients longer pain relief and less need for opioid painkillers after surgery.
What could go wrong
This is a mid-stage trial with 76 people at one hospital, so results may not apply to everyone. Nerve blocks can fail or wear off unevenly, and individual pain responses vary widely.

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 2/3

Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.

Participants

About 76 people

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

Started

Apr 2024

Expected to finish

Mar 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 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: * Patients 18 years or older, * Patients admitted to AHC for 1-3 level TLIF, * Patients who have given written informed consent, * BMI between 18-35 kg/m2, Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with known allergic reactions to standard of care analgesics, * Female patients who are pregnant * Patients with any previous lumbar spine instrumented surgery, * Chronic opioid use within 30 days prior to randomization that exceeds average ≥30 oral morphine equivalents/day, * Patients with known allergy to local anesthetics, * Patients with known or suspected to have neuromuscular disorders impairing neuromuscular blockade (e.g. myasthenia gravis).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Back Pain Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Back pain Narcotic use Physical stress Post operative pain Surgery--complications

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

    The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.

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  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

  • Foundation for Orthopaedic Research and Education

    Tampa, Florida, 33607, United States

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