Major Abdominal Surgery, Pain, Postoperative
Conditions
Brief summary
Comparison of Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane Block with Exparel versus Continuous Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine
Detailed description
The investigator goal is to compare the analgesic efficacy of TAP blocks with liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel) and continuous epidural blocks in patients who are scheduled for major lower abdominal surgery. To assess whether TAP block with Exparel is noninferior to continuous epidural analgesia on pain management, defined as noninferior for both pain control and total opioid consumption for 72 hours, in patients who had major lower abdominal surgery.
Interventions
Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) blocks will be performed preoperatively. An in-plane ultrasound will be used in TAP block procedure.
Epidural catheters will be inserted preoperatively.
Once the target area is positioned, plain bupivacaine 0.25%, 20ml will be given to open the space and then single dose (10ml) of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel) mixed with saline (10 ml) will be injected in each side. Total dose of Exparel will be 20 mL.
Once an epidural catheter is successfully positioned, an infusion will be initiated intraoperatively. Bupivacaine standard solution without additives will be prepared for each patient in epidural group.
Sponsors
Study design
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
* Written informed consent * 18-85 years old * ASA Physical Status 1-3 * Scheduled for elective open or laparoscopic abdominal surgery, including colorectal and hysterectomy surgeries * Anticipated hospitalization of three nights * Expected requirement for parenteral opioids for at least 72 hours for postoperative pain * Able to use IV PCA systems.
Exclusion criteria
* Hepatic disease, e.g. twice the normal levels of liver enzymes * Kidney disease, e.g. twice the normal level of serum creatinine * Bupivacaine sensitivity or known allergy * Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding * Anticoagulants considered to be a contraindication for epidural or TAP blocks. * Surgeries with high port sites will be excluded
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Total Opioid Consumption | During the 72 hours after discharge from the PACU. | Opioid consumption will be measured as the total amount of opioids (converted to morphine sulfate equivalents) used during the 72 hours after the end of surgery. |
| VRS Pain Score | The Verbal Response Scale was recorded every 4 hours for 72 hours after discharge from the PACU. | Pain scores will be measured using a Verbal Response Scale (VRS). VRS is a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 signifies no pain and 10 signifies the worst pain ever experienced. The VRS will be recorded every 4 hours for 72 hours after discharge from the PACU. Summary statistics of pain scores are reported as means ± standard deviations of average pain during the first 72 postoperative hours |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Opioid-related Side Effect | The first, second and third postoperative mornings | We will use 4-point Opioid-Related Symptom Distress Scale (ORSDS) to evaluate the frequency, severity, and bothersomeness of: nausea, vomiting, constipation, difficulty passing urine, difficulty concentrating,drowsiness or difficulty staying awake, feeling lightheaded or dizzy,feeling confused, feelings of general fatigue or weakness, itchiness, dry mouth, and headache. Severity: 1=Slightly severe 2=Moderately severe 3=Severe 4=Very severe; Frequency: 1=Rarely 2=Occasionally 3=Frequently 4=Almost constantly; Bothersomeness (rescaled to a 4-point scale): 0.8=not at all 1.6=a little bit 2.4= somewhat 3.2=quite a bit 4.0=very much. If a patient did not experience the symptom in the past 24 hours, a score of 0 was assigned to each domain. Opioid-related side effect is the sum of the patient's frequency, severity, and bothersomeness, scored from 0 to 12. Higher scores indicate greater severity. |
| Hemodynamic Instability, Defined as Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) <55 mmHg or Systolic Blood Pressure <80 mmHg. | Data was recorded at 15-s intervals during the initial 72 postoperative hours. | Visi mobile patient monitoring system will be used to obtain the blood pressure of the patient for 72 hours. Data was recorded at 15-s intervals and downloaded daily to a laptop. We re-defined postoperative hypotension as any MAP \<65 mmHg, because few patients experienced such profound hypotension as originally planned and because papers published since the trial were designed to identify 65 mmHg as the harm threshold for both myocardial and renal injury. Summary statistics of hemodynamic instability are reported as means ± standard deviations of average MAP during the first 72 postoperative hours. |
| Cumulative Duration of Activity | During the initial 72 postoperative hours. | defined as the total duration of time patients spent sitting or standing, as determined by the mobile monitoring system during the initial 72 postoperative hours. |
| Quality of Recovery After Anesthesia | The first and third postoperative mornings | Quality of recovery (QoR) will be measured using QoR-15 questionnaire which includes 15 11-point numerical rating scale. For positive items, 0 = none of the time \[poor\] to 10 = all of the time \[excellent\]; Conversely, for negative items, 10 = none of the time \[excellent\] to 0 = all of the time \[poor\]. Quality of recovery is the sum of all the 15 questions, with a score ranging from 0 (extremely poor QoR) to 150 (excellent QoR). |
| Length of Hospital Stay | From date of hospital admission until the date of hospital discharge or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 weeks | The length of hospital stay will be measured as days. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Intensity | At the 90-day follow up | Defined by the presence of pain at three months and its characteristics as determined by Modified Brief Pain Inventory (MBPI) questionnaires. The modified BPI contains 4 intensity items and 5 interference items with 0-to-10 numerical rating scales. For intensity items: 0 = no pain and 10 = pain as bad as you can imagine.; and for interference items, 0 = does not interfere and 10 = interferes completely. The pain intensity is the sum of the patient's worst, average, least, and current pain intensity, with a score ranging from 0 (no pain) to 40 (pain as bad as you can imagine); and pain Interference is the sum of walking ability, mood, sleep, relations with others, and ability to concentrate, with a score ranging from 0 (does not interfere) to 50 (interferes completely). |
| Duration of Hypoxemia | Data was recorded at 15-s intervals during the initial 72 postoperative hours. | ViSi mobile (Sotera Wireless) patient monitoring system will be used to obtain vital signs including SpO2 of the patient for 72 hours. Data was recorded at 15-s intervals and downloaded daily to a laptop. The outcome is area-under-the-curve for saturation over time with the threshold set at 90%. |
| Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Interference | At the 90-day follow up | Defined by the presence of pain at three months and its characteristics as determined by Modified Brief Pain Inventory (MBPI) questionnaires. The modified BPI contains 4 intensity items and 5 interference items with 0-to-10 numerical rating scales. For intensity items: 0 = no pain and 10 = pain as bad as you can imagine.; and for interference items, 0 = does not interfere and 10 = interferes completely. The pain intensity is the sum of the patient's worst, average, least, and current pain intensity, with a score ranging from 0 (no pain) to 40 (pain as bad as you can imagine); and pain Interference is the sum of walking ability, mood, sleep, relations with others, and ability to concentrate, with a score ranging from 0 (does not interfere) to 50 (interferes completely). |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel Bilateral Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block procedure following injection of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel)
TAP block: Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) blocks will be performed preoperatively. An in-plane ultrasound will be used in TAP block procedure.
EXPAREL: Once the target area is positioned, plain bupivacaine 0.25%, 20ml will be given to open the space and then single dose (10ml) of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel) mixed with saline (10 ml) will be injected in each side. Total dose of Exparel will be 20 mL. | 255 |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine Epidural catheters with an infusion of Bupivacaine standard solution without additives
Epidural analgesia: Epidural catheters will be inserted preoperatively.
Bupivacaine: Once an epidural catheter is successfully positioned, an infusion will be initiated intraoperatively. Bupivacaine standard solution without additives will be prepared for each patient in epidural group. | 243 |
| Total | 498 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | TAP Block With Exparel | Total | Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 55 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 14 | 55 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 14 | 56 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 14 |
| ASA Status I | 2 Participants | 4 Participants | 2 Participants |
| ASA Status II | 70 Participants | 137 Participants | 67 Participants |
| ASA Status III | 171 Participants | 338 Participants | 167 Participants |
| ASA Status IV | 12 Participants | 18 Participants | 6 Participants |
| ASA Status Unknown | 0 Participants | 1 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Procedure type Laparoscopic | 67 Participants | 129 Participants | 62 Participants |
| Procedure type Open | 188 Participants | 369 Participants | 181 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Other | 34 Participants | 64 Participants | 30 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized White | 221 Participants | 434 Participants | 213 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 160 Participants | 321 Participants | 161 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 95 Participants | 177 Participants | 82 Participants |
| Surgery Duration | 5.7 hours STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5 | 5.7 hours STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5 | 5.6 hours STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5 |
| Type of Surgery Bariatric | 0 Participants | 1 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Type of Surgery Colorectal | 171 Participants | 338 Participants | 167 Participants |
| Type of Surgery Gynecologica | 55 Participants | 97 Participants | 42 Participants |
| Type of Surgery Other | 27 Participants | 55 Participants | 28 Participants |
| Type of Surgery Urological | 2 Participants | 7 Participants | 5 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 255 | 0 / 243 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 255 | 0 / 243 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 255 | 0 / 243 |
Outcome results
Total Opioid Consumption
Opioid consumption will be measured as the total amount of opioids (converted to morphine sulfate equivalents) used during the 72 hours after the end of surgery.
Time frame: During the 72 hours after discharge from the PACU.
Population: Two patients had missing outcomes due to the cancellation of surgery in Epidural analgesia with Bupivacaine group.
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Total Opioid Consumption | 56 mg |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Total Opioid Consumption | 35 mg |
VRS Pain Score
Pain scores will be measured using a Verbal Response Scale (VRS). VRS is a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 signifies no pain and 10 signifies the worst pain ever experienced. The VRS will be recorded every 4 hours for 72 hours after discharge from the PACU. Summary statistics of pain scores are reported as means ± standard deviations of average pain during the first 72 postoperative hours
Time frame: The Verbal Response Scale was recorded every 4 hours for 72 hours after discharge from the PACU.
Population: Two patients had missing outcomes due to the cancellation of surgery in Epidural analgesia with Bupivacaine group.
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | VRS Pain Score | 4.3 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.8 |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | VRS Pain Score | 4.2 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.8 |
Cumulative Duration of Activity
defined as the total duration of time patients spent sitting or standing, as determined by the mobile monitoring system during the initial 72 postoperative hours.
Time frame: During the initial 72 postoperative hours.
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Cumulative Duration of Activity | 1.1 hours |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Cumulative Duration of Activity | 1.0 hours |
Hemodynamic Instability, Defined as Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) <55 mmHg or Systolic Blood Pressure <80 mmHg.
Visi mobile patient monitoring system will be used to obtain the blood pressure of the patient for 72 hours. Data was recorded at 15-s intervals and downloaded daily to a laptop. We re-defined postoperative hypotension as any MAP \<65 mmHg, because few patients experienced such profound hypotension as originally planned and because papers published since the trial were designed to identify 65 mmHg as the harm threshold for both myocardial and renal injury. Summary statistics of hemodynamic instability are reported as means ± standard deviations of average MAP during the first 72 postoperative hours.
Time frame: Data was recorded at 15-s intervals during the initial 72 postoperative hours.
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Hemodynamic Instability, Defined as Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) <55 mmHg or Systolic Blood Pressure <80 mmHg. | 41 mmHg | Standard Deviation 31 |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Hemodynamic Instability, Defined as Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) <55 mmHg or Systolic Blood Pressure <80 mmHg. | 57 mmHg | Standard Deviation 48 |
Length of Hospital Stay
The length of hospital stay will be measured as days.
Time frame: From date of hospital admission until the date of hospital discharge or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 100 weeks
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Length of Hospital Stay | 4.0 days |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Length of Hospital Stay | 4.0 days |
Opioid-related Side Effect
We will use 4-point Opioid-Related Symptom Distress Scale (ORSDS) to evaluate the frequency, severity, and bothersomeness of: nausea, vomiting, constipation, difficulty passing urine, difficulty concentrating,drowsiness or difficulty staying awake, feeling lightheaded or dizzy,feeling confused, feelings of general fatigue or weakness, itchiness, dry mouth, and headache. Severity: 1=Slightly severe 2=Moderately severe 3=Severe 4=Very severe; Frequency: 1=Rarely 2=Occasionally 3=Frequently 4=Almost constantly; Bothersomeness (rescaled to a 4-point scale): 0.8=not at all 1.6=a little bit 2.4= somewhat 3.2=quite a bit 4.0=very much. If a patient did not experience the symptom in the past 24 hours, a score of 0 was assigned to each domain. Opioid-related side effect is the sum of the patient's frequency, severity, and bothersomeness, scored from 0 to 12. Higher scores indicate greater severity.
Time frame: The first, second and third postoperative mornings
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Opioid-related Side Effect | POD 1 | 5.8 score on a scale |
| TAP Block With Exparel | Opioid-related Side Effect | POD 2 | 4.9 score on a scale |
| TAP Block With Exparel | Opioid-related Side Effect | POD 3 | 3.8 score on a scale |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Opioid-related Side Effect | POD 3 | 3.7 score on a scale |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Opioid-related Side Effect | POD 1 | 5.5 score on a scale |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Opioid-related Side Effect | POD 2 | 4.5 score on a scale |
Quality of Recovery After Anesthesia
Quality of recovery (QoR) will be measured using QoR-15 questionnaire which includes 15 11-point numerical rating scale. For positive items, 0 = none of the time \[poor\] to 10 = all of the time \[excellent\]; Conversely, for negative items, 10 = none of the time \[excellent\] to 0 = all of the time \[poor\]. Quality of recovery is the sum of all the 15 questions, with a score ranging from 0 (extremely poor QoR) to 150 (excellent QoR).
Time frame: The first and third postoperative mornings
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Quality of Recovery After Anesthesia | POD 1 | 102 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 26 |
| TAP Block With Exparel | Quality of Recovery After Anesthesia | POD 3 | 111 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 23 |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Quality of Recovery After Anesthesia | POD 1 | 100 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 24 |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Quality of Recovery After Anesthesia | POD 3 | 111 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 22 |
Duration of Hypoxemia
ViSi mobile (Sotera Wireless) patient monitoring system will be used to obtain vital signs including SpO2 of the patient for 72 hours. Data was recorded at 15-s intervals and downloaded daily to a laptop. The outcome is area-under-the-curve for saturation over time with the threshold set at 90%.
Time frame: Data was recorded at 15-s intervals during the initial 72 postoperative hours.
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Duration of Hypoxemia | 1.4 min/h |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Duration of Hypoxemia | 2.8 min/h |
Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Intensity
Defined by the presence of pain at three months and its characteristics as determined by Modified Brief Pain Inventory (MBPI) questionnaires. The modified BPI contains 4 intensity items and 5 interference items with 0-to-10 numerical rating scales. For intensity items: 0 = no pain and 10 = pain as bad as you can imagine.; and for interference items, 0 = does not interfere and 10 = interferes completely. The pain intensity is the sum of the patient's worst, average, least, and current pain intensity, with a score ranging from 0 (no pain) to 40 (pain as bad as you can imagine); and pain Interference is the sum of walking ability, mood, sleep, relations with others, and ability to concentrate, with a score ranging from 0 (does not interfere) to 50 (interferes completely).
Time frame: At the 90-day follow up
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Intensity | 8 score on a scale |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Intensity | 12 score on a scale |
Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Interference
Defined by the presence of pain at three months and its characteristics as determined by Modified Brief Pain Inventory (MBPI) questionnaires. The modified BPI contains 4 intensity items and 5 interference items with 0-to-10 numerical rating scales. For intensity items: 0 = no pain and 10 = pain as bad as you can imagine.; and for interference items, 0 = does not interfere and 10 = interferes completely. The pain intensity is the sum of the patient's worst, average, least, and current pain intensity, with a score ranging from 0 (no pain) to 40 (pain as bad as you can imagine); and pain Interference is the sum of walking ability, mood, sleep, relations with others, and ability to concentrate, with a score ranging from 0 (does not interfere) to 50 (interferes completely).
Time frame: At the 90-day follow up
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|
| TAP Block With Exparel | Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Interference | 14 score on a scale |
| Epidural Analgesia With Bupivacaine | Persistent Postoperative Incisional Pain- MBPI Pain Interference | 17 score on a scale |