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IPACK on Early Pain Scores After ACL Reconstruction

The Effect of IPACK Nerve Blocks on Early ACL Pain Scores

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05985629
Enrollment
78
Registered
2023-08-14
Start date
2023-08-03
Completion date
2026-08-03
Last updated
2023-08-14

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

Conditions

Pain, Postoperative, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries, Analgesics, Opioid

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether using an anesthetic technique called IPACK block will control pain after ACL reconstruction surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: * if participants who receive the IPACK block prior to ACL reconstruction experience less pain after surgery and at 1 day after surgery * if participants who receive the IPACK block prior to ACL reconstruction require less short-term opioid use immediately after surgery and up to one week after surgery. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to 1 of 2 groups: Use of IPACK block during ACL reconstruction vs. placebo (a placebo is a look-alike substance that contains no active drug). Neither the participant nor the investigator will know which group the participants has been assigned to. Researchers will compare self-reported pain scores and short-term opioid use of all study participants.

Detailed description

Eligible patients will be approached for voluntary study participation after they have made the decision to pursue an elective ACL reconstruction surgery with Dr. John Miller of Loyola University Department of Orthopedic Surgery for management of their ACL tear. The study design is a double-blind, randomized trial. Patients will be randomly selected to the control group or the treatment group. The groups will be randomized 1:1 using a block method to be implemented. The control group will receive a sham block, while the treatment group will receive the IPACK block. The use of a sham block, administered by the anesthesia team, is to ensure that Dr. Miller is blinded to patient's treatment group. After administration of the block and a completed ACL reconstruction surgery, pain scores will be collected from the patient at two time points. First, pain scores will be collected in the post-anesthesia care (PACU) unit using the visual analogue scale (VAS) immediately upon waking up, one hour after waking up and upon discharge. Second, pain scores will be collected during the standard post-operative follow-up phone call that Dr. Miller makes with all his patients one day after surgery using the VAS pain scale. Short-term postoperative opioid consumption will be measured in the PACU by calculating the milligram-equivalents of morphine used by patients' starting at their arrival until their discharge. This data will be extracted from the patient's chart on EPIC. Information about the patient's opioid use from discharge until 1-week post-operatively will be collected either in person at the patient's first outpatient post-operative follow up or via patient phone call one week after surgery using a simple questionnaire

Interventions

DRUGIPACK

Infiltration between the popliteal artery and capsules of the knee (IPACK) is a novel ultrasound-guided technique that provides additional regional analgesic relief to the posterior aspect of the knee without complications seen in a sciatic nerve block. The intention of the IPACK block is to anesthetize the terminal sensory nerves while sparing the main trucks of the common peroneal and tibial nerves.

DRUGPLACEBO

The control group will receive the normal pre-procedure care including a pre-operative visit, surgery, and post-operative care. The control group will receive a sham block consisting of saline in the same anatomical location and manner that the intervention IPACK block is administered.

Sponsors

Loyola University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Masking description

An unblinded pharmacist will prepare the study drugs consisting of IPACK block, or the sham block consisting of saline (control group). All patients will be premedicated with midazolam, which is standard of care prior to general anesthesia. The use of a sham block, administered by the anesthesia team, is to ensure that the Investigator is blinded to patient's treatment group.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* All patients presenting to Dr. John Miller with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sports Medicine Division, at Loyola University Medical Center electing to undergo ACL reconstruction surgery. * Patients 16 and over * English speaking patients * Patients who have the capacity to make their own medical decisions and consent to the study

Exclusion criteria

* Previous surgery on the operative knee * Previous knee infection * Chronic opioid use * Have a known allergy to local anesthetics * Patient using autograft (cadaver) for ACL reconstruction.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Pain ScoresImmediately after surgery; 1 hour, 2-3 hours, and 24 hours after surgeryVisual Analogue Scale (VAS). Participants self-report their post surgical pain from a scale of 0 to 10.
Opioid Consumption2-3 hours after surgery; 1 week after surgeryShort-term postoperative opioid consumption will be measured in the PACU by calculating the milligram-equivalents of morphine used by patients' starting at their arrival until their discharge. This data will be extracted from the patient's chart on EPIC. Information about the patient's opioid use from discharge until 1-week post-operatively will be collected either in person at the patient's first outpatient post-operative follow up or via patient phone call one week after surgery.

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactJohn Miller, MD
johnmiller@lumc.edu708-216-8730

Outcome results

None listed

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