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Preoperative Regional Nerve Block for Acute and Chronic Post-Operative Pain Following Mastectomy

Early Phase 1
Completed
Conditions
Anesthesia, Local
Narcotic Use
Mastectomy
Breast Cancer
Interventions
Other: Placebo regional nerveblock with normal saline
Drug: regional nerve block with local anesthesia of bupivacaine with steroid
Registration Number
NCT04019834
Lead Sponsor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to see if pre-operative regional nerve blocks compared to a placebo nerve block can decrease chronic post mastectomy pain, immediate postoperative pain and postoperative narcotic consumption.

Detailed Description

Surgical intervention of breast cancer is vital to breast cancer treatment or prevention and patient outcomes. However, surgical therapy can lead to chronic pain that may affect quality of life for breast cancer survivors including the potential for long-term disability. Chronic pain after breast cancer surgery is common, occurring in about 25-50% of patients. This chronic pain commonly affects women following a mastectomy and is referred to as Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome (PMPS). Regional anesthesia utilizing single dose nerve blocks is frequently utilized in the preoperative period for many surgical procedures and decreases postoperative pain. Regional anesthesia also frequently results in decreased narcotic use in the post-operative period. The use of regional fascial plane blocks or Pectoralis (PECs) blocks has increased in the setting of mastectomy. The regional block utilizes ultrasound guidance to inject local anesthesia into the fascial planes of muscles thereby infiltrate the surrounding nerves. One example is the pectoral I block which deposits local anesthetic between the pectoralis major and minor muscles and pectoral II above the serratus anterior muscle with an intended blockade for intercostals III, IV, V, VI and long thoracic nerves. These techniques have shown a decrease in postoperative pain and postoperative narcotic consumption. The investigators seek to evaluate if preoperative regional nerve blocks decrease post mastectomy chronic pain, improving the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine whether regional nerve blocks affect chronic post-mastectomy pain and whether the regional block is associated with perioperative pain and postoperative narcotic consumption.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
21
Inclusion Criteria
  1. Women at least 19 years old who are able to provide written and informed consent
  2. Women undergoing unilateral or bilateral, simple, skin-sparing, or nipple sparing mastectomy for breast cancer (Stage 0-III) or breast cancer prevention
  3. Patients with ASA class of I-III will be included
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Exclusion Criteria
  1. Stage IV breast cancer, morbid obesity with BMI >45kg/m2
  2. Renal insufficiency (Creatinine >1.5 mg/dL)
  3. Current chronic analgesic use (daily use for > or equal to 4 weeks)
  4. History of opioid abuse or dependence
  5. Presence of chronic pain with a self-reported average pain score of 4 or greater on a pain scale of 0-10 prior to any surgical intervention
  6. Incarceration
  7. Pregnancy
  8. Immediate autologous tissue reconstruction.
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Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
regional nerve block with normal salinePlacebo regional nerveblock with normal salinePlacebo Comparator Arm (n=55). Patients will undergo the same procedure with the exception of injection of 10cc of normal saline into the subcutaneous tissue.
regional nerve block with local anesthesiaregional nerve block with local anesthesia of bupivacaine with steroidTreatment Arm (n=55) will receive titrated sedation with a combination of fentanyl and versed prior to the start of the block. An ultrasound will be used to identify the fascial planes and perform regional nerve blocks. A block needle will be passed into the fascial plane an injectate will be deposited . The injectate in the active arm will contain a local anesthestic and dexamethasone.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Postoperative Pain: Brief Pain Inventory- Short Form (BPI-SF)Baseline (day of surgery) to 12 months

Chronic pain will be evaluated by the Brief Pain Inventory- Short Form (BPI-SF). This form asks a series of 9 questions with ratings of pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (pain as severe as you can imagine) and includes questions evaluating general activities of daily living. The study team will evaluate patient reported levels of pain at 12 months. This series of questions will be in the clinic setting after discharge.

Postoperative PainBaseline (day of surgery) to 16 hours (+/- 4 hours)

Severity of postoperative pain will be evaluated by the Brief Pain Inventory- Short Form (BPI-SF). This form asks a series of 9 questions with ratings of pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (pain as severe as you can imagine) and includes questions evaluating general activities of daily living. The study team will evaluate patient reported levels of pain at 16 hours (+/- 4 hours). This series of questions will be administered in person during the inpatient stay and by telephone or in the clinic setting after discharge.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Postoperative narcotic consumptionBaseline (day of surgery) to discharge (approximately 2 to 30 days post surgery)

Post-operative narcotic consumption will be measured as the total number of oral morphine-equivalent units administered during hospitalization and subsequent narcotic use will be patient-reported narcotic consumption which will also be converted into oral morphine.

Postoperative nauseaBaseline (day of surgery) to 48 hours after surgery

Patient self-reported nausea within 48 hours after surgery.

Postoperative length of stayBaseline (day of surgery) to discharge (approximately 2 to 30 days post surgery)

Total length of patients hospital stay after surgery.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospitals and Affiliated Clinics

🇺🇸

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

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