Could a simple nerve block cut pneumonia risk after rib fractures?
NCT ID NCT07032766
First seen Aug 19, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether a nerve block called the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) can improve outcomes for adults with multiple rib fractures on one side. Researchers will compare patients who receive this block within 24 hours of injury to those who get standard opioid pain relief. They will track rates of pneumonia, length of hospital stay, need for intensive care, and survival to see if the block offers meaningful benefits.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- serratus anterior plane block (SAPB), a nerve block procedure
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this nerve block could become a standard early treatment for rib fractures, potentially lowering pneumonia rates and shortening hospital stays.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a randomized trial, so results may be influenced by differences between groups. The block's benefit is uncertain and depends on physician availability.
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.
- Participants
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About 220 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- 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.
Who is studied
The study population will include a cohort of patients presenting within 24 hours of injury with two or more unilateral, anterior or lateral rib fractures requiring opioid analgesia that would be admitted to the trauma service at a single urban level 1 trauma center. The authors anticipate recruitment of 200 participants over the course of a study duration of 1 year.
- 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: * Patients over 18 years of age being treated in the Emergency Department at Jacobi Medical Center * Presenting within 24 hours of injury * Patient with 2 or more unilateral, anterior or lateral rib fractures * Able to provide consent (patient or health care proxy) * Clinical team believes the patient will require inpatient admission at the time of enrollment Exclusion Criteria: * Patients in traumatic arrest or hemodynamic instability * Patient expected to be discharged from the hospital within 24 hours * Prisoner * Pregnancy * Children less than 18 years of age * The patient is known or is suspected to be allergic to anesthetic * Significant pain from another traumatic and distracting injury * Patients without the ability to consent (or no health care proxy to consent) * Patients with bilateral or posterior rib fractures
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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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Jacobi Medical Center
RECRUITINGThe Bronx, New York, 10461, United States
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