Chest tube painkiller: a new way to ease surgery recovery?
NCT ID NCT00210132
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether a numbing medicine called ropivacaine, given through a chest tube, can reduce severe pain after lung cancer surgery. 90 adults having a thoracotomy (chest opening) for cancer received either ropivacaine or a saltwater placebo every 6 hours for 2 days. The main goal was to see if fewer people had major pain when moving 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
Ropivacaine
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a simpler, safer way to control pain after chest surgery, reducing the need for strong opioids.
What could go wrong
This is a small, completed phase 2 trial, so results are not definitive. Intrapleural pain relief has shown mixed results in the past, and the drug may not work better than a placebo.
Disclaimer
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the original study
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
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Locations
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Institut Bergonié - Centre Régional de Luttre Contre le Cancer de Bordeaux et du Sud Ouest
Bordeaux, 33076, France