Can a new nerve block match the gold standard for Post-Surgery pain?

NCT ID NCT07780773

Symptom relief Sponsor: Ondokuz Mayıs University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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

Summary

This trial compares two ultrasound-guided nerve blocks—the superficial parasternal intercostal plane (SPIP) block and the erector spinae plane (ESP) block—for pain control after open-heart surgery. Adults having their first on-pump cardiac surgery will receive one of the two blocks before anesthesia, alongside standard pain medication. The main goal is to see if SPIP is as effective as ESP in reducing opioid use during the first 24 hours after surgery, which could lead to better pain management and faster recovery.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Two nerve blocks: superficial parasternal intercostal plane (SPIP) block and erector spinae plane (ESP) block, both using bupivacaine with adrenaline.
What this could lead to: If SPIP block proves as effective as ESP block, it could offer a simpler, safer pain relief option after heart surgery, potentially reducing opioid use and speeding recovery.
What could go wrong: This is a non-inferiority trial, so it may show SPIP is not as good as ESP. Results depend on many factors, and individual responses to nerve blocks can vary.

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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 308 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

Sep 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: * written informed consent * age 18 to 80 years * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II-IV * Scheduled for first-time on-pump cardiac surgery through a median sternotomy, including coronary artery bypass grafting, valve repair or replacement, or another open cardiac procedure requiring sternotomy * Ability to understand postoperative pain and recovery assessments and to use an intravenous patient-controlled analgesia device. Exclusion Criteria: * Emergency surgery. * Previous median sternotomy. * Minimally invasive cardiac surgery without median sternotomy. * Known allergy or hypersensitivity to bupivacaine, morphine, paracetamol, ondansetron or another protocol medication. * Chronic opioid use, defined as continuous opioid treatment for at least 30 days at a daily oral morphine equivalent dose of 15 mg or more. * Alcohol or substance use disorder that, in the investigator's judgment, may affect adherence or outcome assessment. * Clinically significant hepatic dysfunction, defined as alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase greater than twice the upper limit of normal. * Clinically significant renal dysfunction, defined as serum creatinine greater than twice the upper limit of normal. * Coagulation disorder or antithrombotic treatment that precludes safe block performance according to current institutional guidance. * Infection at a planned needle insertion site. * Severe psychiatric illness, cognitive impairment or communication difficulty preventing valid postoperative assessment. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding. * Body mass index greater than 40 kg/m². * Prolonged postoperative mechanical ventilation, defined as failure to achieve extubation within 8 hours after surgery. * Refusal to participate.

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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.

Cardiac surgery Chronic postsurgical pain Postoperative pain

How to take part

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

The places running it

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

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

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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.

Can a new nerve block match the gold standard for Post-Surgery pain?

What the study statuses mean