New pain block after kidney stone surgery could cut opioid use
NCT ID NCT05121168
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether a continuous nerve block (using the numbing medicine bupivacaine) can reduce pain and opioid use after kidney stone surgery. Fifty adults having surgery received a single nerve block plus a catheter, then were randomly given either more numbing medicine or a placebo (salt water) for two days. The goal was to see if the continuous block improves pain scores and lowers opioid consumption compared to a single injection alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- bupivacaine
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a better way to manage pain after kidney stone surgery, reducing the need for opioids.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed Phase 4 trial with only 50 participants. The benefit over a single injection may be small, and the catheter can cause discomfort or infection.
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
-
50 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- 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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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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 Hide 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: * undergoing unilateral percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the prone position * analgesic plan includes a single-injection erector spinae plane block * age 18 years or older Exclusion Criteria: * morbid obesity as defined by a body mass index \> 40 (BMI=weight in kg / \[height in meters\]2) * renal insufficiency (abnormal preoperative creatinine or estimated glomerular filtration rate) * chronic opioid use (daily use within the 2 weeks prior to surgery and duration of use \> 4 weeks) * history of opioid abuse * any comorbidity which results in moderate or severe functional limitation * inability to communicate with the investigators or hospital staff * pregnancy * bilateral or multi-stage surgical procedures * incarceration * known allergy to any study medication * any contraindication to perineural catheter insertion (e.g., infection at the catheter insertion site)
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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
Locations
-
UC San Diego
San Diego, California, 92103, United States
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University of California, San Diego
San Diego, California, 92103, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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