Neck block could cut opioid use after spine surgery
NCT ID NCT05996133
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a numbing injection in the neck muscles can reduce pain and opioid use after cervical spine fusion surgery. Thirty-eight adults scheduled for the surgery will receive either the active block or a sham injection. Researchers will compare pain scores and medication use over the first 24 hours and beyond.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- bupivacaine with dexamethasone and epinephrine
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a better way to manage pain after neck surgery, reducing the need for strong painkillers like opioids.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 38 people, so results may not apply widely. The block may not reduce pain more than the sham procedure.
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
-
About 38 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Dec 2023
- Expected to finish
-
Jun 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
-
40 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 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: 1. Patients 40-80 years old, males and females, of any race and any ethnic group. 2. Patients are scheduled for elective primary posterior cervical spine fusion surgery (CSFS) to be performed by one of the spine surgeons in the study. 3. Ability to speak and read English 4. Patients with American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status score I- IV Exclusion Criteria: 1. Emergency posterior CSFS. 2. Revision surgery or history of previous cervical spine surgery 3. History of allergy to local anesthetics or steroids. 4. Patients who are coagulopathic at the time of surgery 5. Patients with contraindications to MCP blocks, including but not limited to anatomical abnormality or previous surgical intervention that limits or prevents receiving the blocks 6. Infection at the site of the block. 7. Weight \< 40 kg to avoid local anesthetic toxicity. 8. Patients on chronic or continuous opioid use of \> 50 MME (morphine milli-equivalent) per day for at least 30 days within 90 days prior to surgery. 9. Patients with a history of chronic inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis 10. Refusal to participate or lack of providing the study consent
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Cervical spine fusion are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
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.
-
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
-
Hartford Hospital
RECRUITINGHartford, Connecticut, 06102, United States