ESP Blocks for Posterior Spinal Fusion

A Double-Blind Prospective RCT Assessment of ESP Blocks for Analgesia Following Posterior Spinal Fusion

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07228039

Enrollment

Registered

2025-11-13

Start date

2027-10-01

Completion date

2028-01-01

Last updated

2026-08-27

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

Conditions

Postoperative Pain

Keywords

ESP Block, Spinal Fusion, Multimodal Analgesia

Brief summary

This prospective randomized double-blind study evaluates the efficacy of erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks on postoperative pain in patients undergoing cervical or lumbar posterior spinal fusion. Patients will receive either 0.5% bupivacaine plus liposomal bupivacaine or 0.5% plain bupivacaine. Outcomes include opioid consumption over 72 hours, pain scores, length of stay, and time to ambulation.

Interventions

DRUGESP Block with Bupivacaine

Cervical and lumbar ESP blocks performed under ultrasound guidance using plain bupivacaine.

DRUGESP Block with Bupivacaine + Liposomal Bupivacaine

Cervical and lumbar ESP blocks performed under ultrasound guidance using bupivacaine admixed with liposomal bupivacaine.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 75 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* English speaking * Age 18-75 * ASA physical status 1-3 * Undergoing elective cervical or lumbar posterior spinal fusion (≤3 levels)

Exclusion criteria

* Age \<18 or \>75 * ASA IV or V * Non-English speaking * BMI \>40 * Opioid dependence * Chronic pain * Anticoagulation or coagulopathy * Injection site infection * Hepatic or renal insufficiency * Allergy to study drugs * Pregnancy * Inability to communicate with investigators

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Postoperative Pain as measured by opiate consumption	72 hours	Morphine MilliEquivalents

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Postoperative Pain at rest and with movement as measured by patient reported pain scores	4, 8, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours	Numeric Rating Scale (0-10) 0 being no pain, 10 being worst pain imaginable
Discharge Readiness	72 hours	Hospital and PACU Length of Stay
Postoperative Pain Severity as measured by required time for patient controlled-analgesia	72 hours	Duration of patient controlled analgesia use
Incidents of post-operative nausea and vomiting	72 hours	Post-operative Nausea and Vomiting
Time to first ambulation	72 hours	—

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORStephen Davies

Duke University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 28, 2026