Ultrasound Guided Intercostobrachial Nerve Block

Area of Sensory Loss, Onset Time and Duration of Two Different Ultrasound Guided Intercostobrachial Nerve Blocks for Vascular Access Surgery of the Upper Arm

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02805582

Enrollment

Registered

2016-06-20

Start date

2016-08-31

Completion date

2018-02-28

Last updated

2018-04-12

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

Conditions

Anaesthesia

Keywords

Peripheral Nerve Block

Brief summary

The intercostobrachial nerve underlies many anatomical variations. For surgery of the upper arm the axilla is usually not anaesthetized by a brachial plexus block, which therefore needs to be completed by an intercostobrachial nerve block. The optimal access for an ultrasound guided block of the intercostobrachial nerve is not yet known. The investigators compare a proximal and a more distal approach to the nerve referred to onset time, sensory blocked area and duration.

Detailed description

The participants will be randomized into two groups: Group one receives a modified PECS 2 (thoracic wall) block above the second intercostal space with injection between the Musculus serratus anterior and Musculus pectoralis minor. Group 2 receives a subpectoral block under the pectoralis major muscle at the medial boarder of the axillary triangle.

Interventions

DRUG10ml ropivacain 0.5%

Ultrasound guided nerve block

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* patients planned for vascular access surgery of the upper arm * surgery planned under regional anaesthesia

Exclusion criteria

* patients refusal * age under 18 * allergy against local anaesthetics * polyneuropathies

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Blocked area in squared cm	Assessment 30 minutes after intervention	Area of sensory loss to pin prick test

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Block onset time in minutes	Complete timeframe of 45 minutes with testing every 5 minutes	Onset time of complete analgesia. Assessment by pin prick test in the middle of the axilla
Block duration in minutes	Assessment every 30 minutes for 8 hours after nerve block	Complete analgesia to pin prick in the middle of the axilla
The pain numeric rating scale (NRS) during surgical manipulation in the axilla	From beginning to end of surgery. Estimated mean duration of 90 minutes.	—

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

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