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Bilateral External Oblique Intercostal Plane Bock (EOIPB) in Upper Abdominal Surgeries

Analgesic Efficacy of Ultrasound Guided Bilateral External Oblique Intercostal Plane Block Versus Rectus Sheath Block in Upper Abdominal Surgeries: A Randomized Double-blinded Controlled Study

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07055438
Enrollment
40
Registered
2025-07-08
Start date
2025-07-24
Completion date
2025-11-16
Last updated
2025-12-02

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

Conditions

Post Operative Analgesia

Keywords

Rectus shealth block, External oblique intercostal plane block

Brief summary

The current study is designed to investigate the analgesic potentials of two modalities of abdominal blocks where local anesthetics is injected in the fascial planes of the abdominal muscles to anesthetize the nerves supplying the abdomen in patients undergoing upper abdomial surgeries. the two modalities are the rectus sheath block (RSB) and the external oblique intercostal plane block (EOIPB). The investigators are going to use the ultrasound to identify the muscles and inject the local anesthetics. The investigators suggest that the EOIPB might provide better pain control when compared to RSB.

Detailed description

Fascial plane blocks emerge as an appealing technique to provide good intraoperative and postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing upper abdominal surgeries. Such techniques have the benefit of decreasing opioids use and consequently reducing the like hood of their side effects. Ultrasound guided rectus sheath Block (RSB) targets the terminal branches of thoracic nerves thus providing analgesia for midline abdominal incisions. Ultrasound guided external oblique intercostal plane block (EOIPB), a relatively new technique, targets the lateral cutaneous branches of the thoracoabdominal nerves providing analgesia for anterolateral and upper median plane of the abdomen. Studies Comparing both techniques are deficient, that is why the investigators designed the current study to evaluate and compare the analgesic efficacy of both techniques in upper abdominal surgeries namely Whipple operation and total gastrectomy. The study is a randomized controlled double blinded trial comprising two groups. The RSB group will receive bilateral ultrasound guided rectus sheath block with 20ml of 0.25% bupivacaine on each side. The EOIB group will receive bilateral ultrasound guided External oblique intercostal plane block with 20ml of 0.25% bupivacaine on each side as well. Both blocks will be performed after administering general anesthesia. The main endpoint of the study is the time to first request for rescue analgesia.

Interventions

After receiving general anesthesia, bilateral ultrasound guided rectus sheath block with 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine on each side will be administered to 20 patients undergoing upper abdominal surgeries namely whipple operation and total gastrectomy

After receiving general anesthesia, bilateral ultrasound guided external oblique intercostal plane block with 20 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine on each side will be administered to 20 patients undergoing upper abdominal surgeries namely whipple operation and total gastrectomy

Sponsors

Kasr El Aini Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

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

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age from 18 to 65 Years * Both sexes. * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II, III. * Patients who will undergo upper abdominal surgeries (Whipple operation, total gastrectomy).

Exclusion criteria

* Coagulation disorders. * Abdominal surgery history. * Infection in the block application area. * Chronic opioid use. * Local anesthetic (LA) allergy. * Pregnancy. * BMI ≥35 kg/m2. * Severe cardiovascular problems. * Diabetic neuropathy. * Complicated surgeries with massive blood loss and hemodynamic instability.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to first request for rescue analgesiaTime in hours from end of surgery to first dose of morphine administered up to 24 hours postoperativelyTime from end of surgery to first dose of morphine administered

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Fentanyl consumptionFrom the start of the surgery till the end in micogram/KgIntraoperative fentanyl consumption
Postoperative morphine consumptionfrom the time numerical rating scale exceeds 3 and till 24 hours after the end of the surgeryTotal morphine consumption (mg) in the first 24hrs after surgery
Pain scorefrom the time of recovery immediately in the postoperative period and then at 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours postoperativelyPain score using Numerical rating Scale (NRS)between 0 and 10, Zero means no pain and ten means the worst pain
Patient satisfaction of analgesia2 hours after recovery from anesthesiaDegree of patient satisfaction will be assessed on a 5-point Likert scale patient satisfaction (1, extremely dissatisfied; 2, unsatisfied; 3, neutral; 4, satisfied ; 5, extremely satisfied)
Incidence of postoperative nausea and vomitingFrom the recovery of anesthesia and up to 24 hours postoperativelyThe number of patients suffering from postoperative nausea and vomiting in both groups

Countries

Egypt

Outcome results

None listed

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