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Ultrasound-guided Deep Versus Superficial Continuous Serratus Anterior Plane Block for Pain Management in Patients With Multiple Rib Fractures

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Multiple Rib Fractures
Pain, Acute
Serratus Anterior Plane Block
Interventions
Procedure: Ultrasound-guided continuous serratus anterior plane block
Registration Number
NCT04575272
Lead Sponsor
Assiut University
Brief Summary

The present clinical study will be undertaken to evaluate the effect of Ultrasound-guided Deep versus Superficial continuous Serratus Anterior Plane Block for pain management in patients with multiple rib fractures.

Detailed Description

Thoracic blunt trauma, especially when multiple rib fractures are associated, is challenging to manage and causes significant morbidity due to the severe pain implied.

Patients can present with respiratory compromise as their capacity to expand the thorax is limited by pain. As a result, they are at high risk to develop atelectasis and pneumonia.

the key goal of management is adequate analgesia and pulmonary volume expansion Various strategies to treat such pain have been utilized, including regional analgesia (intrapleural, intercostal paravertebral nerve blockade), and neuraxial analgesia (thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA), intrathecal opioids).

The use of neuraxial analgesia in polytrauma is frequently limited by the need for aggressive venous thromboembolic (VTE) prophylaxis, and positioning of the patient for a neuraxial approach may be impossible.

There is a growing interest in exploring treatments that are less invasive than EA and can be performed on patients who have contraindications to neuraxial analgesia. Ultrasound-guided Serratus Anterior Plane (SAP) block is a recent technique, first described by Blanco et al. in 2013, that provides analgesia for the thoracic wall by blocking the lateral branches of the intercostal nerves from T2 to L2. It is a safe, simple to perform block with no significant contraindications or side effects. he described 2 potential spaces, one superficial and another deep to serratus. The SAPB has been used effectively for the management of pain in the context of rib fractures, thoracoscopic surgery, thoracotomy, breast surgery, and post-mastectomy pain syndrome, few studies compared the two approaches, and the difference between them has not yet been studied in patients with multiple rib fractures.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
62
Inclusion Criteria
  • Adult patients of either sex, having three or more unilateral fracture ribs and admitted to the trauma ICU, Rib fractures were confirmed by X-ray and CT scan reads.
Exclusion Criteria
  • significant head injury and unconsciousness (GCS less than 14)
  • Patients with significant pain from other injuries
  • pathological obesity (body mass index ≥35)
  • history of drug allergy local anesthetics
  • local infection at the injection site
  • inability to obtain consent from patient or surrogate, and patient refusal

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Continuous Superficial Serratus Anterior Plane Block groupUltrasound-guided continuous serratus anterior plane blockat the level of the fifth rib in the mid-axillary line. After anaesthetizing the skin with 2 mL of lidocaine 2%, an 18-gauge Touhy needle was introduced in-plane, under direct visualization, to the plane immediately superficial to the serratus anterior muscle. After negative aspiration, 35 mL of bupivacaine 0.25% will be injected. Afterwards, a 20-gauge peripheral nerve catheter will be threaded into the space. then bupivacaine 0.125% infusion at a rate of 5 ml/h by an Infusion Syringe Pump will be started.
Continuous Deep Serratus Anterior Plane Block groupUltrasound-guided continuous serratus anterior plane blockat the level of the fifth rib in the mid-axillary line. After anaesthetizing the skin with 2 mL of lidocaine 2%, an 18-gauge Touhy needle was introduced in-plane, under direct visualization, to the plane immediately deep to the serratus anterior muscle. After negative aspiration, 35 mL of bupivacaine 0.25% will be injected. Afterwards, a 20-gauge peripheral nerve catheter will be threaded into the space. then bupivacaine 0.125% infusion at a rate of 5 ml/h by an Infusion Syringe Pump will be started.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in pain scorebefore and after the block at "30 minutes", "2hours", "4hours", "6hours", "12hours", "24hours", "36hours", "48 hours" & "72hours"

patient report numerical rating scale (NRS) 0 to 10, with 0 being "no pain" and 10 being "the worst pain imaginable"

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
heart ratebefore and after the block every "2hours" for 3 days

heart rate by EKG monitor

peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2)before and after the block every "2hours" for 3 days

measured by Pulse oximetry

Change in inspiratory volumes (mL)before and after block at "90 minutes" then every "12hours" for 3 days

Maximum inspiratory respiratory volume (measured in ml) recorded on single use of incentive spirometer device

change in Serum beta-endorphin levelbefore procedure and at 24 hours post procedure

We will use radioimmunoassays to measure plasma beta-endorphin level

mean arterial blood pressurebefore and after the block every "2hours" for 3 days

mean arterial blood pressure by non invaisive blood pressure monitoring

Lung Ultrasound Score (LUSS)before and after block at "90 minutes" then every "24 hours" for 3 days

We will use a techniques based on the international evidence-based recommendations for point-of-care lung ultrasound that recommended using a complete eight-zone lung ultrasound ,The worst ultrasound pattern observed in each zone was recorded and used to calculate the sum of the scores (total score = 24).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Assiut University

🇪🇬

Assiut, Egypt

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