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Effect of Bilateral Quadratus Lumborum Block for Pain Relief in Patients With Cesarean Section

Effect of Bilateral Quadratus Lumborum Block for Pain Relief in Patients With Cesarean Section

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03199170
Enrollment
90
Registered
2017-06-26
Start date
2017-09-01
Completion date
2019-08-01
Last updated
2019-09-26

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

Conditions

Caesarean Section, Spinal Anesthesia, Quadratus Lumborum Block, Analgesia

Keywords

Caesarean Section, Spinal anesthesia, Quadratus lumborum block, Postoperative pain, Intrathecal morphine

Brief summary

Cesarean section commonly induces moderate to severe pain for 48 hours. These patients have additional compelling reasons to provide adequate pain relief as early mobilization is a key factor to prevent the risk of thromboembolic event which is increased during pregnancy. Beside these, patients need to be pain free to takecare for their newborn and breastfeed them. Poorly controlled pain after cesarean section also increases risk of chronic pain and postpartum depression. Intrathecal morphine is considered the gold standard for postoperative pain relief after cesarean delivery. The duration of analgesic effect of morphine extend to 12-24 hours. Its widespread use is due to its favorable pharmacokinetic profile, ease of administration and low cost. Although intrathecal morphine is highly effective, its use is associated with undesirable adverse effect particularly nausea, vomiting and pruritus which reduce overall patients' satisfaction. More serious complication is the risk of delayed maternal respiratory depression. The Quadratus Lumborum block was first described in 2007 which demonstrates a spread to the paravertebral space, thus leads to a more extensive block to T5-L1 nerve branches and a long lasting block with the potential to provide visceral pain relief. Therefore, this block has an evolving role in postoperative analgesia for many lower abdominal surgeries. As the safety is concerned, there has been one report of a patient with unilateral hip flexion and knee extension weakness leading to unplanned overnight admission following lateral quadratus lumborum block after laparoscopic gynaecological operation. If the result favors effective, it will have the advantage of a combination with intrathecal opioid to prolong the pain free period after cesarean section which has about 4,000 cases per year.

Interventions

DRUGIntrathecal morphine

0.5% Hyperbaric bupivacaine 2 ml add morphine 0.2 mg for spinal anesthesia

0.25% Bupivacaine 25 ml each side for quadratus lumborum block without spinal morphine

DRUGIntrathecal morphine with bilateral Quadratus Lumborum Block

0.5% Hyperbaric bupivacaine 2 ml add morphine 0.2 mg for spinal anesthesia and 0.25% Bupivacaine 25 ml each side for quadratus lumborum block

Sponsors

Mahidol University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* All singleton pregnant women with gestation of at least 37 weeks scheduled for elective cesarean section with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status 1 or 2

Exclusion criteria

1. refuse to receive spinal block 2. allergy to drugs used in research: morphine, local anesthetic drug and paracetamol 3. abnormal coagulopathy: congenital coagulopathy or who used anticoagulants 4. platelet dysfunction or thrombocytopenia 5. distorted anatomical structures of lumbar spines 6. systemic infection or local infection at both flank areas which are the punctures sites for quadratus lumborum block 7. unable to comprehend or use the verbal rating pain scoring system or patient-controlled analgesia

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to first analgesic request (PCA morphine)48 hours postoperativelyWhether bilateral quadratus lumborum block can increase pain free period of patients undergo cesarean section under spinal block with intrathecal morphine or not

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Requirement of rescue pain48 hours postoperativelyRequirement of pain control medication
Pain score48 hours postoperativelyPain score at rest and on movement rating by numerical rating scale in 48-hr postoperative
Adverse effect48 hours postoperativelyIncidence of side effects e.g. nausea and vomiting, itching and sedation
Satisfaction score48 hours postoperativelySatisfaction score rated from 0-100

Countries

Thailand

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 23, 2026