Continuous Popliteal Nerve Blocks: Effect of Perineural Catheter Tip Location Relative to the Sciatic Nerve Bifurcation on Postoperative Analgesia

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01229696

Enrollment

150

Registered

2010-10-28

Start date

2010-10-31

Completion date

2015-06-30

Last updated

2016-04-11

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

Conditions

Ankle Surgery, Foot Surgery, Popliteal Bifurcation, Popliteal Nerve Block

Keywords

Popliteal, UCSD, Postoperative pain, Foot surgery, Ankle surgery, Popliteal Catheter, Popliteal Nerve Block, Lower extremity surgery, Bifurcation, Catheter Insertion Site

Brief summary

Research study to determine the relationship between perineural catheter tip location relative to the sciatic nerve bifurcation and postoperative analgesia for continuous popliteal nerve blocks.

Detailed description

Hypothesis: During a continuous popliteal nerve block, postoperative analgesia will be improved with the perineural catheter tip at the level of the sciatic nerve bifurcation compared to when the catheter tip is 5 cm cephalad/proximal to the bifurcation.

Interventions

PROCEDURECatheter Placed At Bifurcation

Patients randomized to this group will receive a sciatic nerve block placed at the bifurcaton of the sciatic nerve and outcome measures will be tested.

PROCEDURECatheter Placed 5cm Above Bifurcation

Patients randomized to this group will receive a sciatic nerve block placed 5cm above the bifurcaton of the sciatic nerve and outcome measures will be tested.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* undergoing surgery with a popliteal perineural catheter for postoperative analgesia * age 18 years or older

Exclusion criteria

* pregnancy * inability to communicate with the investigators and hospital staff * incarceration * clinical neuropathy in the surgical extremity * chronic high-dose opioid use * a history of opioid abuse * surgery outside of ipsilateral sciatic and saphenous nerve distributions

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Average Pain	1 Day following surgery	The average pain in the three hours previous to a phone call the day following surgery as measured on a numeric rating scale (0-10, 0=no pain, 10=worst imaginable pain).

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Analgesic Use	1 day following surgery	Total oral opioid use since surgery and total IV analgesics if any.
Sleep Disturbances	1 day following surgery	Total number of times patient woke due to pain the night following surgery.
Infusion Side Effects	1 day following surgery	Numbness of foot and toes on a 0-10 scale where 0=no numbness and 10=complete numbness.
Satisfaction of pain control	1 day following surgery	Patients will give an answer on a 0-10 scale where 0=completely unsatisfied wiht pain control and 10=completely satisfied with pain control.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026