Nerve block before face surgery may cut opioid need
NCT ID NCT06429501
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a numbing injection (nerve block) given before facial fracture surgery can lower the amount of opioids patients need after surgery. 70 adults with facial fractures will be randomly assigned to receive either the nerve block or a placebo. The goal is to see if the nerve block reduces opioid use and related side effects like nausea.
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 epinephrine
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a way to manage pain after facial surgery with fewer opioids and less nausea.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial. The nerve block may not reduce opioid use significantly, and results may not apply to all patients.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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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. Adults age 18 and over 2. Isolated facial fracture to the mandible and/or midface undergoing surgical repair 3. No allergy to local anesthetic 4. Ability to read, write, and understand English Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients under the age of 18 2. Isolated nasal bone fracture 3. Polytrauma (I.e. injury pattern resulting in hospital admission for multiple bony fractures outside of the face) 4. Allergy to local anesthetic
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Washington University
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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