New nerve block technique may cut opioid use after breast surgery
NCT ID NCT05171179
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether a specific nerve block (Pecs block) using a non-opioid painkiller called Exparel can reduce pain, nausea, and the need for opioids after breast reconstruction with tissue expanders. Sixty adults undergoing this surgery were randomly assigned to receive either the nerve block or standard care. The goal was to see if this approach improves recovery and reduces side effects.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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60 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- 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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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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. Subjects greater than 18 years of age. 2. Subject who are undergoing implant-based, tissue expander breast reconstruction surgery. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects undergoing flap breast reconstruction. 2. Subjects who are undergoing direct-to-implant surgery. 3. Subjects who have previously undergone radiation therapy. 4. Medical or psychiatric condition that may increase the risk associated with study participation, may complicate patient compliance, or may interfere with the interpretation of study results and, in the judgment of the Investigator, would make the subject inappropriate for entry into this study. 5. Subjects who are pregnant at the date of surgery.
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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
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Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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