USG Nerve Blocks for ACL Reconstruction

Ultrasound Guided Nerve Block Combinations for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; Femoral, Saphenous and Obturator (Posterior Branch)Nerves.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01840800

Enrollment

Registered

2013-04-26

Start date

2013-02-28

Completion date

2014-06-30

Last updated

2014-07-31

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

Conditions

Pain, Postoperative

Keywords

Postoperative pain, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, ultrasound guided nerve blocks, opioid consumption

Brief summary

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is a routine surgical procedure. Traditional femoral/sciatic block combinations effectively reduce postoperative pain, but results in considerable motor blockade. The investigators aimed to evaluate postoperative pain relief and the degree of motor block with block combinations of femoral nerve (FEM) and obturator \[posterior branch\] nerve (ONP), versus saphenous nerve (SAPH) and ONP, versus placebo blocks with isotonic saline. All patients received standard patient controlled analgesia with morphine.Randomized, placebo-controlled and double-blinded clinical trial. Following IRB approval, 81 patients were planned to be randomized to one of three USG block combinations: Active FEM+ONP, active SAPH+ONP or no active blocks (sham blocks) Ropivacaine 0.75% was used for all active blocks following induction of general anaesthesia \[propofol-remifentanil, laryngeal mask airway\]. Primary outcome measure: Localized PACU pain scores (AUC) 0-6 hours postoperatively at rest. Secondary outcome measures: Opioid consumption, opioid related side effects, PACU time, motor abilities of daily living scores \[modified Barthel/100 index\], perceived ill health \[Short form-8\] scores and degree of motor blockade \[Jensen- Børglum motor test\].

Interventions

DRUGRopivacaine

DRUGplacebo

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Age ≥ 18 years. * Isolated primary ACL reconstruction in general anaesthesia with hamstring graft. * ASA 1-3. * Written and informed consent to study protocol.

Exclusion criteria

* ACL reconstruction with patellar tendon graft * Uncooperative patients. * Patients that do not understand or speak danish. * Daily use of opioids equivalent to \> 40 mg morphine. * Allergic to Ropivacaine. * Alcohol abusers * Contraindications to general anaesthesia. * Pregnancy.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
NRS (pain score)	Area under the curve (AUC) 0-6 hours postoperatively	Numerical rating scale(0-10)

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Opioid consumption	0-6 hours postoperatively	Opioid consumption (PCA pump - mg of morphine)
opioid related side effects	0-6 hours postoperatively	Nausea (0-3), vomiting (\>10 ml)
PACU time	0-6 hours postoperatively	Minutes in PACU
Motor abilities of of daily living	0-24 hours postoperatively	Modified Barthel/100 index
Perceived ill health	0-24 hours postoperatively	Short-Form-8
Degree of motor block.	0-6 hours postoperatively	Jensen-Borglum motor test

Countries

Denmark

Outcome results

None listed

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