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Dexamethasone as an Adjuvant to Ropivacaine for the Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block

Registration Number
NCT02818491
Lead Sponsor
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
Brief Summary

Shoulder surgery is associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain. Interscalene brachial plexus block is considered by many as the gold standard for treating postoperative pain and consists of injecting local anaesthetics close to the nerves of the brachial plexus in the neck. Duration of analgesia is between eight to twelve hours depending on the type of administered drugs. Dexamethasone 4 mg is a steroid routinely injected intravenously in anaesthesia for the prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Recently, different trials have demonstrated that combining 4 to 8 mg of dexamethasone with local anaesthetics for a perineural injection may prolong the duration of analgesia up to 24 hours. In a meta-analysis including 29 trials and 1695 patients, investigators have recently demonstrated through a meta-regression that a dose of 4 mg is sufficient and represents a ceiling dose, without neurological complications. The objective of this multicenter randomised controlled double-blinded trial is to determine the optimal dose of perineural dexamethasone. For that purpose, investigators will include a total of 150 patients divided in 5 groups: local anaesthetics with placebo, or with dexamethasone 1, 2, 3 and 4 mg.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
75
Inclusion Criteria
  • patients scheduled for elective shoulder arthroscopy
  • duration of surgery less than 4 hours
Exclusion Criteria
  • allergy to local anaesthetics
  • history of neck surgery
  • history of neck radiotherapy
  • severe respiratory disease
  • diabetic patient
  • chronic pain condition
  • pregnancy
  • patient suffering from cancer
  • patient with addicted disease

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Dex 1Dexamethasone 1 mgPatients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 1 mg in 2 mls
Dex 1Ropivacaine 0.5%Patients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 1 mg in 2 mls
Dex 3Ropivacaine 0.5%Patients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 3 mg in 2 mls
Control groupRopivacaine 0.5%Patients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with normal saline 0.9% 2 mls
Dex 4Ropivacaine 0.5%Patients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 4 mg in 2 mls
Dex 2Dexamethasone 2 mgPatients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 2 mg in 2 mls
Dex 3Dexamethasone 3 mgPatients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 3 mg in 2 mls
Dex 4Dexamethasone 4 mgPatients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 4 mg in 2 mls
Control groupPlaceboPatients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with normal saline 0.9% 2 mls
Dex 2Ropivacaine 0.5%Patients will receive ropivacaine 0.5% 20 mls with dexamethasone 2 mg in 2 mls
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Duration of analgesia24hour
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Rate of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)24hour

Presence of PONV (YES/NO)

Rate of pruritus24hour

Presence of pruritus (YES/NO)

Satisfaction score on postoperative day 1 (visual analogue scale, 0-10)24hour
Glycemia in postanesthetic care unit (mmol/l)4hour
Pain scores at rest on postoperative day 1 (visual analogue scale, 0-10)24hour
Pain scores on movement on postoperative day 1 (visual analogue scale, 0-10)24hour
Pain scores at rest in postanesthetic care unit (visual analogue scale, 0-10)4hour
Pain scores on movement in postanesthetic care unit (visual analogue scale, 0-10)4hour
Onset time of action of motor block1hour
Equivalent morphine consumption in postanesthetic care unit4hour
Equivalent morphine consumption on postoperative day 124hour
Duration of motor block24hour
Onset time of action of sensory block1hour
Rate of infection7 days

Presence of infection (YES/NO)

Rate of paresthesia7 days

Presence of paresthesia (YES/NO)

Rate of muscle weakness7 days

Presence of muscle weakness (YES/NO)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

AZ Groeninge Hospital

🇧🇪

Kortrijk, Belgium

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