Rectus Sheath Block and Local Wound Infiltration in Pediatric Laparoscopic Appendectomies

Completed

• Conditions: Appendectomy, Laparoscopic; Pediatric Anesthesia; Nerve Block/Methods; Regional Anesthesia; Acute Pain, Postoperative

• Registration Number: NCT06913205
• Lead Sponsor: Bursa City Hospital

Brief Summary

Laparoscopic appendectomy surgeries are among the most commonly performed procedures in childhood. However, they are associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain. Regional nerve block techniques are recommended for postoperative pain management. This research compared the two most frequently used methods: rectus sheath block and local wound infiltration.

Detailed Description

Acute appendectomy surgeries are one of the most frequently performed surgeries in childhood. Minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgical methods are recommended, especially in abdominal surgeries, due to rapid wound healing, rapid recovery, less bleeding, and shorter hospital stays compared to open surgery. In addition to all these advantages of laparoscopic surgeries, postoperative somatic pain is expected to be less compared to open surgeries due to the small incisions in the abdominal wall. However, when the pain severity of children who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy was evaluated using the pain scoring scale, it was seen that the median pain scores were ≥7 in 5% of the children (severe pain) and ≥4 in 25% (moderate pain). Clinical practice guidelines also recommend the use of regional anesthesia and analgesia methods as part of multimodal analgesia in the prevention of intraoperative and postoperative pain. We also routinely use regional anesthesia and analgesia methods successfully and effectively in our daily practices in our clinic.

Rectus sheath blocks, which are known to be effective in midline incisions, and local anesthetic infiltrations of the wound site, which do not require special technical knowledge about regional anesthesia, are routinely applied in our clinic in every case. Although both methods provide clinical benefits, it is unknown which one is superior to the other.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-08-25
• Primary Completion: 2022-08-25
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Study Completion: 2025-03-25
• Study First Submitted: 2025-03-29
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-03-30
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-30
• Study First Posted: 2025-04-06
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-06

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 145

Inclusion Criteria

• Older than 8 years
• Younger than 18 years
• Minimal invasive appendectomy (3 port)
• Consent to participate

Exclusion Criteria

• Younger than 8 years
• Older than 18 years
• Convert to open abdominal surgery
• Do not consent to participate

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Analgesic consumption	Postoperative first 24 hours.	Total acetaminophen use in the first 24 hours after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Postoperative pain scores	Postoperative first 24 hours.	Pain scores will be evaluated in the postoperative period using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, where zero is equivalent to no pain, and 10 indicates the worst possible pain.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Health Sciences, Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital; 🇹🇷 Bursa, Turkey