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Pudendal Enhancement of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for Reconstructive Surgery (PEERS)

Pudendal Enhancement of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for Reconstructive Surgery (PEERS)

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04171050
Enrollment
44
Registered
2019-11-20
Start date
2019-11-14
Completion date
2023-08-28
Last updated
2025-06-03

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

Conditions

Pain Management

Keywords

Pain Management, Pudendal Nerve Block (PNB), Vaginal Reconstruction

Brief summary

Patients will undergo their vaginal reconstructive surgery in the usual manner, but will also be randomly assigned on the day of surgery to either receive the extra injection of numbing medication at the onset of surgery or not. The chances they will be assigned to the additional injection is 50%. Their care in the hospital and after surgery will be the same. They will participate in the study for a total of 6 weeks during which time they will be asked to complete two phone surveys, during which a provider will check in on pain level and pain medication use, and one office visit at 6 weeks. The office visit is part of their routine care and would be a scheduled visit regardless if they participated in the study or not. If they are unable to return to the office for a postoperative visit at 6 weeks, they will be contact by phone instead to obtain information on satisfaction with postoperative care, any complications after surgery, and overall how they are doing after surgery.

Detailed description

PROTOCOL SUMMARY AND/OR SCHEMA To determine whether administration of a PNB at time of vaginal reconstructive surgery can reduce use of narcotics and reported pain scores in the immediate postoperative period within the setting of multimodal postoperative pain control of ERAS. Women \>18yo undergoing vaginal reconstructive surgery without a hysterectomy will be randomized to either standard of care with typical use of local anesthetic during their surgery versus perioperative PNB in addition to typical use of local anesthetic during their surgery. PNB will be performed with 0.5% bupivacaine and 10cc will be injected bilaterally. All patients will be on a standard preoperative and postoperative multimodal pain regimen. Patients will be followed until 6 weeks after surgery. OVERVIEW OF STUDY DESIGN/INTERVENTION This will be a prospective blinded randomized controlled trial. We will recruit women who are undergoing vaginal prolapse repair surgery with a Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship-trained provider within the UCLA Health System. Women will be recruited prior to undergoing vaginal reconstructive surgery. They will then be randomized to control group with standard of care with local anesthesia used during surgery (Group 1) or PNB in addition to use of local anesthesia typically used during surgery (Group 2). All pain medication will be standardized. Preoperative medications per our ERAS protocol will include oral acetaminophen 1000mg, gabapentin 600mg, and celecoxib 400mg. During surgery the patient will undergo their randomized intervention as either Group 1 or Group 2. Postoperative medications per our ERAS protocol including scheduled acetaminophen 1,000mg PO every 6 hours and ketorolac 30mg IV every 6 hours. For supplemental pain medication patients will have the following available: tramadol 50mg PO every 6 hours as needed for moderate pain (pain 4-6/10 on NRS scale), tramadol 100mg PO every 6 hours as needed for severe pain (pain 7-10/10 on NRS scale), and oxycodone 5mg PO every 4 hours as needed for breakthrough pain as supplemental pain medication. If the above regimen does not allow for sufficient pain control then additional hydromorphone IV 0.2mg or morphine IV 2mg can be ordered by the provider as needed, but will not be standard in the postoperative order set. The providers will know what intervention the patients underwent, but the patients and the care team obtaining pain scores in the hospital will be blinded to the intervention. The patients' pain scores on the numeric rating scale (NRS) and supplemental opioid use measured in morphine milligram equivalent (MME) will be tracked during their hospitalization, which is typically a 23-hour observation. They will then be called at 48 hours for further follow-up on pain score by NRS and asked how much opioid medication they have taken since leaving the hospital and their overall satisfaction with their pain control. To help with the determination of supplemental pain medication used and pain scores, the patients will be provided a worksheet upon discharge that outlines their recommended medication routine, allows them to record their supplemental opioid medication use with dose and time, and also provides space for them to record their pain score at 48 hours post operatively. The patient will then be contacted at 2 weeks after surgery to determine if they have returned to normal activities (walking, sitting, and performing daily household tasks comfortably) and if so at what point this occurred, as well as their overall satisfaction with their postoperative pain control again. The two week contact will be either a phone call or clinic visit depending on the provider's preference for patient follow-up. The last point of contact will be at 6 weeks to determine time to return to normal activities, if they had not met this milestone at the 2-week contact, and again assess their overall satisfaction with their postoperative pain control. If a patient is discharge same day instead of admitted for 23-hour observation they will also receive a call at 24 hours postoperative to check on pain score and supplemental pain medication used.

Interventions

Local anesthesia injections

DRUGPudendal Nerve Block plus anesthesia

Local anesthesia injections plus a pudendal nerve block

Sponsors

University of California, Los Angeles
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Caregiver)

Masking description

The providers will know what intervention the patients underwent, but the patients and the care team obtaining pain scores in the hospital will be blinded to the intervention

Intervention model description

This will be a prospective blinded randomized controlled trial. We will recruit women who are undergoing vaginal prolapse repair surgery with a Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship-trained provider within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health System. Women will be recruited prior to undergoing vaginal reconstructive surgery. They will then be randomized to control group with standard of care with local anesthesia used during surgery (Group 1) or PNB in addition to use of local anesthesia typically used during surgery (Group 2).

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Female * Age \> 18 years old * English speaking * Undergoing vaginal reconstructive surgery of at least 2 compartments (anterior vaginal wall, posterior vaginal wall, and/or apical suspension including hysteropexy, uterosacral ligament suspension, or sacrospinous ligament fixation)

Exclusion criteria

* Hysterectomy at time of surgery-is variable in duration which may affect response to PNB * Inability to tolerate opioids-allergy or medical contraindication * Inability to tolerate local anesthetic agents-allergy or medical contraindication * Inability to tolerate NSAIDS-allergy or medical contraindication * Inability to tolerate acetaminophen-allergy or medical contraindication * Coagulation disorder * Chronic pain syndrome using opioid medication on a regular basis prior to surgery

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Narcotic Use24 hours after surgeryMeasured in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) at 24 hours

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Pain Scores0-2 hours, 2-4 hours, 4-8 hours, 8-12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours after surgeryAverage pain score by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The scale is composed of 0 (no pain at all) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).
Return to Normal Daily Activities6 weeks after surgeryDays to return to normal activity, defined as walking, sitting, and performing daily household tasks comfortably. Upon discharge, all participants received a diary to record the date they returned to normal daily activities. Participants were contacted at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively either by telephone or during their scheduled office visit and were asked about their time to return to normal activity.
Patient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery48 hours after surgery, 2 weeks after surgerySatisfaction with postoperative pain control was assessed using a verbal scale of 1=very satisfied, 2=Somewhat satisfied, 3=Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 4=Somewhat dissatisfied, 5=very dissatisfied
Length of Hospital StayTracked by hour through time of patient discharge (up to 72 hours)Tracked in hours

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Group 1: Local Anesthesia
This group was assigned usual care, which involved local anesthesia administered per surgeon preference
22
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve Block
Pudendal Nerve Block (PNB) in addition to local anesthesia used during surgery Pudendal Nerve Block plus anesthesia: Local anesthesia injections plus a pudendal nerve block
22
Total44

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicGroup 1: Local AnesthesiaGroup 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockTotal
Age, Continuous63 years66 years65 years
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
1 Participants2 Participants3 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Other
1 Participants2 Participants3 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Refused to answer
2 Participants2 Participants4 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White
18 Participants16 Participants34 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
22 participants22 participants44 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
22 Participants22 Participants44 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 220 / 22
other
Total, other adverse events
6 / 227 / 22
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 221 / 22

Outcome results

Primary

Narcotic Use

Measured in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) at 24 hours

Time frame: 24 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaNarcotic Use8 MME
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockNarcotic Use6.75 MME
Primary

Narcotic Use

Measured in MME at 48 hours

Time frame: 48 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaNarcotic Use8 MME
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockNarcotic Use7 MME
Secondary

Length of Hospital Stay

Tracked in hours

Time frame: Tracked by hour through time of patient discharge (up to 72 hours)

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaLength of Hospital Stay16.5 Hours
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockLength of Hospital Stay9 Hours
Secondary

Pain Scores

Average pain score by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The scale is composed of 0 (no pain at all) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).

Time frame: 0-2 hours, 2-4 hours, 4-8 hours, 8-12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours after surgery

Population: Patients were not present for 8-12 hour assessment (outpatient surgery so they were sent home)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPain Scores2-4 hours1.4 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.7
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPain Scores24 hours4 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPain Scores4-8 hours1.9 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.8
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPain Scores48 hours3 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPain Scores0-2 hours1.2 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.8
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPain Scores48 hours4 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPain Scores0-2 hours1.6 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.4
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPain Scores2-4 hours1.1 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.8
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPain Scores4-8 hours1.4 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPain Scores24 hours3 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3
Secondary

Patient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery

Satisfaction with postoperative pain control was assessed using a verbal scale of 1=very satisfied, 2=Somewhat satisfied, 3=Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 4=Somewhat dissatisfied, 5=very dissatisfied

Time frame: 48 hours after surgery, 2 weeks after surgery

Population: Participants who completed the study, per Participant Flow.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery1 - at 48 hours16 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery2 - at 48 hours3 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery3 - at 48 hours0 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery4 - at 48 hours0 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery5 - at 48 hours1 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative RecoveryNot obtained at 48 hours1 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery1 - at 2 weeks15 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery2 - at 2 weeks0 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery3 - at 2 weeks2 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery4 - at 2 weeks0 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery5 - at 2 weeks2 Participants
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative RecoveryNot obtained at 2 weeks2 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery5 - at 2 weeks1 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery1 - at 48 hours13 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery1 - at 2 weeks17 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery2 - at 48 hours4 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery4 - at 2 weeks1 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery3 - at 48 hours1 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery2 - at 2 weeks2 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery4 - at 48 hours2 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative RecoveryNot obtained at 2 weeks0 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery5 - at 48 hours0 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative Recovery3 - at 2 weeks0 Participants
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockPatient Satisfaction With Postoperative RecoveryNot obtained at 48 hours1 Participants
Secondary

Return to Normal Daily Activities

Days to return to normal activity, defined as walking, sitting, and performing daily household tasks comfortably. Upon discharge, all participants received a diary to record the date they returned to normal daily activities. Participants were contacted at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively either by telephone or during their scheduled office visit and were asked about their time to return to normal activity.

Time frame: 6 weeks after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Group 1: Local AnesthesiaReturn to Normal Daily Activities10 Days
Group 2: Local Anesthesia Plus Pudendal Nerve BlockReturn to Normal Daily Activities10 Days

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