Comparison of epidural catheters and wound catheters for pain control after liver surgery

Comparison of epidural analgesia and patient-controlled continuous local anaesthetic infusion via a wound catheter for pain control after open liver resection: an open-label randomised controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN16447784

Enrollment

Registered

2015-04-13

Start date

2015-03-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-01-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Postoperative pain control and recovery after surgery Surgery Pain after surgery

Interventions

1. Wound catheters for continuous infusion of local anaesthesia, along with intravenous PCA with morphine 2. Epidural catheters (standard of care)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Age >18 years old 2. Scheduled to undergo an open liver resection

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Contraindications to epidural 2. Inability to consent 3. Age 40 kg/m2

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Length of stay from surgery to becoming medically fit for discharge, measured in days	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Time in theatre: 1.1. Anaesthetic time (anaesthetic room to incision) 1.2. Surgical time (incision to completion of closure, including the insertion of wound catheters) 2. Pain scores, estimated with Painmatcher® in addition to visual analogue scale everyday until discharge 3. Length of stay in high dependency unit (days) 4. Peak flow measurements at baseline and day 1 to day 5 5. Total volume (mL) of intravenous fluid required in theatre and every 24 hours 6. Total need for vasopressors 7. Total daily opioid analgesia (conversion to morphine mg equivalent) required everyday until discharge 8. Time to first bowel movement (days) 9. Nausea, on a scale of 1–3 on days 1, 2 and 3 10. Sedation, on a scale of 1–3 on days 1, 2 and 3 11. Mobility: time to first sitting in chair (hours) 12. Incidence of complications (related to surgery and analgesia), up to discharge 13. Patient satisfaction (EQ-5D questionnaire)	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Time in theatre: 1.1. Anaesthetic time (anaesthetic room to incision) 1.2. Surgical time (incision to completion of closure, including the insertion of wound catheters) 2. Pain scores, estimated with Painmatcher® in addition to visual analogue scale everyday until discharge 3. Length of stay in high dependency unit (days) 4. Peak flow measurements at baseline and day 1 to day 5 5. Total volume (mL) of intravenous fluid required in theatre and every 24 hours 6. Total need for vasopressors 7. Total daily opioid analgesia (conversion to morphine mg equivalent) required everyday until discharge 8. Time to first bowel movement (days) 9. Nausea, on a scale of 1–3 on days 1, 2 and 3 10. Sedation, on a scale of 1–3 on days 1, 2 and 3 11. Mobility: time to first sitting in chair (hours) 12. Incidence of complications (related to surgery and analgesia), up to discharge 13. Patient satisfaction (EQ-5D questionnaire)

—

Countries

United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactErnest Hidalgo

ernest.hidalgo@nhs.net+44 (0)113 206 4887

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026