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Clinical Trials/NCT06740214
NCT06740214
Recruiting
Phase 3

Analgesic Efficacy of Different Liposomal Bupivacaine Doses in the Adductor Canal Block for Total Knee Arthroplasty: a Randomized Controlled Trial

The University of Hong Kong1 site in 1 country177 target enrollmentSeptember 4, 2025

Overview

Phase
Phase 3
Intervention
0.5% standard bupivacaine only
Conditions
Pain, Postoperative
Sponsor
The University of Hong Kong
Enrollment
177
Locations
1
Primary Endpoint
Weighted area under curve (AUC) pain score
Status
Recruiting
Last Updated
5 months ago

Overview

Brief Summary

Total knee arthroplasty is a commonly performed orthopaedic surgery for the treatment of end-stage osteoarthritis when conservative management becomes ineffective. TKA is associated with significant acute postoperative pain and many patients experience severe postoperative pain despite the use of multimodal analgesia. Poor acute postoperative pain control impacts rehabilitation, prolongs recovery and increases opioid consumption and chronic post-surgical pain.

Liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel, Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc, Parsippany, New Jersey, USA) is a multivesicular formulation of bupivacaine that prolongs drug release and can extend the duration of analgesia. The adductor canal block (ACB) has been shown to reduce pain intensity and opioid consumption after total knee arthroplasty. The use of liposomal bupivacaine in the adductor canal block has recently been FDA-approved. However, the results of its efficacy from existing clinical trials have been mixed. In addition, the doses in the clinical trials have been different, and the optimal dose for perineural application of liposomal bupivacaine is unclear, including for the adductor canal block.

In this project, the investigators propose to conduct a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of different doses of liposomal bupivacaine in the adductor canal block on acute postoperative pain intensity and opioid consumption after robotic assisted total knee arthroplasty. The investigators will also assess secondary outcomes including knee functional scores, chronic pain and quality of recovery.

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
September 4, 2025
End Date
June 30, 2028
Last Updated
5 months ago
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Parallel
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator

Wong Sau Ching Stanley

Clinical Associate Professor

The University of Hong Kong

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • ASA I-III
  • Age 18-80 years old
  • Scheduled for elective primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with robotic surgery
  • Able to speak and understand Cantonese or Mandarin or English
  • Able to provide informed oral and written consent

Exclusion Criteria

  • Revision TKA
  • Single-stage bilateral TKA
  • Complex primary TKA requiring use of stem/augment/constrained liner
  • Surgeries with significant intraoperative complications which may alter rehabilitation protocol eg collateral ligament injury, fracture requiring fixation
  • Known allergy to opioids, local anaesthetic drugs, paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) including COX-2 inhibitors
  • History of chronic pain other than chronic knee pain
  • History of immunosuppression
  • Chronic use of glucocorticoids
  • Chronic opioid use (morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, ketobemidone, methadone, nicomorphine, oxycodone, or meperidine)
  • History of congestive heart failure (NYHA 2)

Arms & Interventions

ACB using 20ml 0.5% standard bupivacaine (SB-ACB)

adductor canal block with 20ml 0.5% standard bupivacaine only

Intervention: 0.5% standard bupivacaine only

ACB using 10ml 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine with 10 ml 0.5% standard bupivacaine (LB10-ACB)

adductor canal block with 10ml 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine (133mg) plus 10ml 0.5% standard bupivacaine

Intervention: 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine with 0.5% standard bupivacaine

ACB using 20ml 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine only (LB20-ACB)

adductor canal block with 20ml 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine (266mg)

Intervention: 1.33% liposomal bupivacaine only

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Weighted area under curve (AUC) pain score

Time Frame: The first 48 hours after surgery when the patient is at rest

Pain severity would be rated at rest after surgery using numerical rating scale (NRS) with 0 to 10 where 0=no pain and 10=the worst possible pain

Secondary Outcomes

  • Oxynorm consumption(Postoperative day 1-7)
  • NRS pain scores(from after surgery to postoperative day 7)
  • Overall Benefit of Analgesic Score (OBAS)(Postoperative day (POD) 1-7)
  • Plasma level of bupivacaine and ropivacaine(Blood will be collected during induction, at 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours after ACB.)
  • Quality of Recovery Questionnaire (QoR-9)(Postoperative day 1)
  • Rehabilitation parameters (Duration of hospital stay)(estimated on average of postoperative day 7 at the date of discharge from hospital)
  • Rehabilitation parameters (discharge location)(estimated on average of postoperative day 7 at the date of discharge from hospital)
  • Opioid-related side effects(While the patient is in hospital from postoperative day 0, 1, and 2.)
  • Potential side effects related to adductor canal block (ACB)(While the patient is in hospital from postoperative day 0, 1, and 2.)
  • Rehabilitation parameters (range of maximal active knee flexion)(While the patient is in hospital from postoperative day 0, day 1, and day 2.)
  • Rehabilitation parameters (quadricep power)(While the patient is in hospital from postoperative day 0, day 1, and day 2.)
  • Rehabilitation parameters (ability to perform straight leg raising)(While the patient is in hospital from postoperative day 0, day 1, and day 2.)
  • Rehabilitation parameters (walking distance)(While the patient is in hospital from postoperative day 0, day 1, and day 2.)
  • Analgesic block duration(While the patient is in hospital at postoperative day 1)
  • Sensory and motor assessment(While the patient is in hospital from post-block 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours.)
  • quality of life (SF12v2)(at 6 weeks and at 3 and 6 months after surgery)
  • Identification Pain Questionnaire for Neuropathic Pain (ID-NeP)(at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively)
  • Knee Society Knee Function Score(at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively)
  • Chronic post-surgical pain(at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively)

Study Sites (1)

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