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REDUCE Trial: Perineural Dexamethasone on Scalp Nerve Blocks

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Postoperative Pain
Craniotomy
Dexamethasone
Scalp Nerve Blocks
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT04648358
Lead Sponsor
Beijing Tiantan Hospital
Brief Summary

Pain is common in the first 2 days after major craniotomy. Inadequate analgesia may lead to an increased risk of postoperative complications. Most pain following craniotomy arises from the pericranial muscles and soft tissues of the scalp. Scalp nerve blocks with local anesthesia seem to provide effective, safe, however transient postoperative analgesia which does not seem to meet the requirements of craniotomy. Currently, peripheral dexamethasone has been observed to significantly prolong the duration of analgesia of nerve blocks (e.g., saphenous nerve block, adductor canal block, thoracic paravertebral block, brachial plexus nerve block). On the contrary, a study reported that perineural dexamethasone did not appear to prolong the analgesic time after supratentorial craniotomy. However, all patients in this study were given 24 mg of oral or intravenous dexamethasone regularly at least 7 days during the perioperative period, which possibly masked the role of single local low doses of perineural dexamethasone. Therefore, the analgesic effect of single dexamethasone for scalp nerve blocks without the backdrop of perioperative glucocorticoid deserves further clarification.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
156
Inclusion Criteria
  • scheduled for elective supratentorial craniotomy under general anesthesia;
  • age 18 to 64 years;
  • an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of I, II or III;
  • preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 15/15.
Exclusion Criteria
  • History of chronic headache or chronic pain syndrome of any cause, psychiatric disorders, or uncontrolled epilepsy;
  • Inability to understand or use the pain scales before surgery;
  • Excessive alcohol or drug abuse, chronic opioid use (more than 2 weeks or 3 days per week for more than 1 month), use of drugs with confirmed or suspected sedative or analgesic effects, or use of any painkiller within 24 hours before surgery;
  • Request of oral/intravenous glucocorticoid to decrease cerebral edema within 1 week before surgery;
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding;
  • Extreme body mass index (BMI) (< 15 or > 35);
  • Participation in another interventional trial that interferes with the intervention or outcome of this trial;
  • Refusal or inability of the patient and/or legal guardian to provide informed consent;
  • Coagulopathy;
  • Infection around the puncture point;
  • History of allergies to any of the study drugs.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
DEX4mg groupDexamethasone combined with bupivacaineDEX4mg group will receive scalp nerve blocks with 0.5% bupivacaine, plus 4 mg dexamethasone with epinephrine at 1:200,000.
Control groupBupivacaineThe control group will receive scalp nerve blocks with 0.5% bupivacaine, plus normal saline with epinephrine at 1:200,000
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
The duration of analgesiaWithin 48 hours after surgery

The time between the performance of the block and the administration of the first press the PCA demand button postoperatively.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
BradycardiaWithin 48 hours after surgery

Bradycardia will be defined as HR\<60 beats/minute in at least two instances more than 5 minutes apart.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)Within 48 hours after surgery

Vomiting will be defined as the forceful expulsion of gastric contents, and nausea will be defined as an unpleasant sensation associated with the urge to vomit.

Patient satisfaction score (PSS)At 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively

PSS: 0 for unsatisfactory to 10 for very satisfactory.

Sufentanil consumptionAt 4, 12, 24 and 48 hours postoperatively

The cumulative amount of sufentanil consumption by PCA

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)At 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively

A scale for measuring level of consciousness, in which scoring is determined by three factors: amount of eye opening, verbal responsiveness, and motor responsiveness.

Numeric rating scale (NRS)At 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively

NRS: 11-point scale in which 0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain. An NRS score ≥4 will be considered significant or moderate pain. An NRS score ≥7 will be considered severe pain. Meanwhile, the localization of the site of the pain will also be documented.

HypotensionWithin 48 hours after surgery

Hypotension will be defined as any of the following: systolic BP \<90 mm Hg for 5 minutes or a 35% decrease in mean arterial blood pressure.

The length of stay (LOS)About at 2 weeks after surgery

The LOS will be defined as the number of nights spent in the hospital after surgery.

Emergence deliriumWithin 48 hours after surgery

Emergence delirium will be assessed by the Sedation Agitation Scale (SAS), a 7-point scale on which a higher score represents greater agitation.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Beijing Tiantan Hospital

🇨🇳

Beijing, Beijing, China

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