TAP Block for Postoperative Pain Control

Summary

This clinical trial will examine differences in the effectiveness between three (3) commonly used methods and/or medications used to perform a transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block for post-operative pain control. The transversus abdominis muscle is either side between the lowest rib and the hip bone. Group A subjects will undergo post-operative pain relief treatment with a single injection of Bupivacaine injected into the TAP. Group B subjects will undergo post-operative pain relief treatment with a single injection of Exparel®, a liposomal form of bupivacaine into the TAP. Group C subjects will be treated with a continuous infusion of the local anesthetic ropivacaine with the ON-Q® pump. There will be no placebo group in this study.

Conditions

• Pain, Postoperative

Interventions

DRUG

Bupivacaine

60 ml Bupivacaine 0.25% will be drawn via 60 ml Syringe. The syringe will be connected and a 10ml flush syringe containing 10ml 0.9% Normal Saline (NS) will be connected to the end of an IV extension set via a 3-way stopcock and Luer lock connections. The Bupivacaine 0.25% syringe will be connected to the stopcock. The distal end of the IV connection will be connected to the injection needle. The entire setup will be flushed with 0.9% NS via flush syringe. The TAP space will also be located under ultrasound guidance and verified by using the 0.9% NS flush syringe. Once in the TAP space, 30 ml Bupivacaine 0.25% will be injected into the TAP space. This dose will be decreased to 25 ml for patients under 70 kg. The process will be repeated on the opposite side TAP block.

DRUG

Exparel®

20 ml Exparel (266 mg) will be drawn into a 20 ml syringe. A 20 ml Bupivacaine 0.25% syringe and the syringe containing the Exparel solution will be connected to the end of an IV extension set via a 3-way stopcock. The IV connection will be connected to the injection needle. The setup will be flushed with the Bupivacaine syringe. The TAP space will be located under ultrasound guidance. 133mg of Exparel will be injected into the TAP space. After injection, the syringe will be exchanged for the Bupivacaine syringe and 20ml Bupivacaine injected into the space. The process will be repeated on the opposite side TAP block.

DRUG

Ropivacaine

40 ml Bupivacaine 0.25% will be drawn via two 20ml Syringes. A Bupivacaine 20ml syringe will be connected to an IV extension via a 3-way stopcock and Luer lock. The IV will be connected to an injection tuohy needle and flushed with NS. The TAP space will be located using ultrasound guidance. 15 ml Bupivacaine 0.25% will be injected. A catheter will be threaded through the tuohy needle into the TAP space. 5ml Bupivacaine 0.25% will then be injected. The catheter will be secured via standard technique. The process will be repeated for the opposite side. Patients will receive a filled ON-Q system. The ON-Q system contains Ropivacaine 0.2%. The pump will run at 7 ml/hr. per side.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Joshua Herskovic

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Joshua Herskovic, MD · Midwestern Regional Medical Center

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-11-01

Primary Completion

2016-04-16

Completion

2016-04-16