Comparison of Intrathecal Morphine and Rectus Sheath Block for Postoperative Pain Management After Lower Abdominal Surgery With Midline Incision

NCT07489872 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 66

Last updated 2026-03-30

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of intrathecal morphine and rectus sheath block compared with standard postoperative analgesia for pain management in patients undergoing lower abdominal surgery with a midline incision. Effective postoperative analgesia is essential to enhance recovery, reduce opioid consumption, and improve overall patient comfort.

In this prospective randomized controlled trial, eligible patients scheduled for lower abdominal surgery through a midline incision will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: intrathecal morphine, rectus sheath block, or control (standard postoperative analgesia without regional intervention). Postoperative outcomes will include pain scores, quality of recovery (QoR) scores, functional recovery parameters, patient satisfaction, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and rescue analgesic requirements.

The findings of this study may provide evidence on the comparative effectiveness of these analgesic strategies and contribute to the development of optimized multimodal pain management protocols in lower abdominal surgery.

Conditions

  • Postoperative Analgesia
  • Pain Management

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Intrathecal Morphine

Patients in this group will receive 200 mcg of intrathecal morphine administered at the L3-L4 interspace prior to general anesthesia as part of their perioperative analgesic regimen for postoperative pain control following lower abdominal surgery with a midline incision. As part of standard perioperative care, all patients will receive 8 mg dexamethasone and 1.5 mg/kg intravenous tramadol. Postoperatively, all patients will have intravenous tramadol PCA (10 mg/kg). Rescue analgesia with 3 mg intravenous morphine will be administered if the numeric rating scale (NRS) pain score is 4 or higher.

PROCEDURE

Rectus Sheath Block

Patients in this group will receive a bilateral rectus sheath block after induction of general anesthesia but prior to surgical incision, with 20 ml solution (10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine and 10 ml of normal saline) administered to each side, in addition to standard perioperative analgesia. As part of standard care, all patients will receive 8 mg dexamethasone and 1.5 mg/kg intravenous tramadol. Postoperatively, all patients will have intravenous tramadol PCA (10 mg/kg). Rescue analgesia with 3 mg intravenous morphine will be administered if the numeric rating scale (NRS) pain score is 4 or higher.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Marmara University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
90 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-02-24
Primary Completion
2026-06-30
Completion
2026-07-30

Countries

  • Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07489872 on ClinicalTrials.gov