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Can a deeper nerve block cut opioid use after abdominal surgery?

NCT ID NCT07796828

Symptom relief Sponsor: Sheikh Zayed Medical College 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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 01, 2026 · Last updated Sep 02, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether a quadratus lumborum block, a nerve block placed deeper in the abdominal wall, provides better pain relief than the standard transversus abdominis plane block. Adults having elective midline laparotomy will receive one of the two blocks before surgery. Researchers will measure pain scores, time to first painkiller request, and total opioid use in the first 24 hours. The goal is to find a technique that controls pain more effectively and reduces reliance on opioids.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block (QLB) compared with transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, using bupivacaine
What this could lead to
If QLB proves better, it could become the preferred nerve block for abdominal surgery, offering stronger pain relief and reducing opioid use.
What could go wrong
This is a single-center trial with 100 patients, so results may not apply broadly. Nerve blocks carry risks like bleeding or infection, and QLB may not outperform TAP.

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

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 100 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

Mar 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a government body.

Who can take part

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

Ages

18 to 65 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: * Age 18-65 years * Either sex * Scheduled for elective midline laparotomy (upper, lower, or full midline incision) under general anesthesia * ASA physical status I-III Exclusion Criteria: * Body mass index \>40 kg/m² * Existing chronic pain disorder, established opioid dependence, or history of substance abuse * Previous or current neurological or psychiatric illness likely to compromise comprehension, decision-making capacity, or reliable reporting of pain scores * Conditions in which an abdominal wall block would not be appropriate or safe (bleeding tendency, ongoing anticoagulation outside acceptable limits, local skin or soft-tissue infection at the planned puncture site, or major distortion of abdominal wall anatomy) * Urgent laparotomy performed for peritonitis or unstable physiology (including patients requiring continuous vasopressor support) * Previous abdominal wall surgery, large incisional hernia, or distorted flank/anterior abdominal wall anatomy likely to impair standardized block placement

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Abdominal surgery Midline laparotomy Postoperative pain

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

  • Sheikh Zayed Medical College/Hospital

    Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab Province, Pakistan

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