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Breast CancerPhase 3NCT00645138

Comparison of Paravertebral Block With General Anesthesia in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery

A Phase 3 study testing Paravertebral Block and General Anesthesia in people with Breast Cancer, run by Weill Medical College of Cornell University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this project is to determine if there is a difference between paravertebral block and general anesthesia in terms of time to discharge from the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and pain level in patients undergoing outpatient breast cancer surgery. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
Conditions the study is for
Breast Cancer
What is being tested?
Paravertebral Block and General Anesthesia
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
40 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Apr 2008to Mar 2010
Phase
Phase 3
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Women 18 years of age or older with suspected breast carcinoma scheduled for unilateral lumpectomy or mass excision with sentinel node biopsy and possible axillary dissection.

Who cannot join

  • A diagnosis of chronic pain, regular use of opioid medications, infection at the injection site, allergy to amide local anesthetics, bleeding disorder, contraindication to LMA, and patient refusal.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center

    New York, New York, 10065

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Comparison of Ultrasound-assisted Paravertebral Block and General Anesthesia for Outpatient Breast Cancer Surgery, a Prospective Randomized Trial

The purpose of this project is to determine if there is a difference between paravertebral block and general anesthesia in terms of time to discharge from the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and pain level in patients undergoing outpatient breast cancer surgery.

Read the detailed description

The optimal anesthetic technique for breast cancer surgery allows for good postoperative pain relief and rapid discharge. Breast cancer surgery with potential axillary dissection is often performed under general anesthesia due to the potential for poor analgesia with local anesthetic infiltration at the surgical site alone. General anesthesia can be associated with increased post-operative pain, nausea, and delayed discharge when compared to regional anesthesia for breast and other types of procedures (1,2).

The paravertebral block is a technique that has been used perioperatively for breast (3,4), thoracic (5), abdominal (6), and hernia surgeries (7). It has also been used for pain control after rib fractures and penetrating trauma (8,9). The paravertebral block is performed by injecting local anesthetic above or below the transverse processes of the vertebral bodies where the spinal nerve roots emerge from the intervertebral foramina. The most common technique is to insert a needle 2.5 centimeters lateral to the spinous process at each level and "walk off" the transverse process. Injections at one or multiple levels block the somatic and sympathetic innervation to these dermatomes (10).

Rare complications of thoracic paravertebral blocks include epidural spread, intrathecal injection, and Horner's Syndrome (1,11,12). One of the most feared complications of the traditional technique is pleural puncture, which has an incidence of 0.64% to 6.7% in the published literature (3,11,13).

Ultrasound guidance in regional anesthesia is gaining widespread popularity. This technology provides visualization of key anatomic structures and has been shown to decrease block placement and onset times (14,15) and improve patient comfort (15). Ultrasound-guided blocks are associated with success rates of greater than 90% (15,16). In the thoracic region, ultrasound can be used to identify the vertebral transverse processes, as well as the ribs and the pleura of the lungs (17). In this way, pleural puncture can be avoided during paravertebral block placement.

To date there have been no published prospective, randomized trials comparing the multiple injection thoracic paravertebral technique using ultrasound guidance to general anesthesia in breast cancer surgery patients.

Our hypothesis is that paravertebral block anesthesia will result in shorter Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) stays and decreased Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores when compared to general anesthesia in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. Secondary endpoints will include the need for postoperative opioids and the presence of nausea and/or vomiting.

Conditions
Breast Cancer
Being tested
Paravertebral Block, General Anesthesia
Keywords
breast carcinoma, breast cancer, paravertebral block, comparison of paravertebral block and general anesthesia, ultrasound
Medical subject headings
Breast Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Paravertebral BlockProcedure or surgery

    Sedation will be provided with midazolam and fentanyl. The transverse processes of T1-T6 will be located using ultrasound guidance. The area will be prepped with betadine. At each level, a 21 Gauge, 4-inch Stimuplex needle will be inserted in order to make contact with the transverse process. Once the transverse process has been located, the needle will be "walked off" the process and inserted 1 cm deep to its inferior border. After negative aspiration, 3 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 and bicarbonate and 3 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 will be injected. Sedation will be provided with 50-100 mcg/kg/min of propofol during the surgical procedure. Approximately 20 minutes before the end of the procedure, 4 mg of zofran will be administered.

  • General AnesthesiaProcedure or surgery

    Patients in the general anesthesia group will receive midazolam preoperatively for anxiolysis. Anesthesia will be induced with propofol and fentanyl. An LMA will be inserted and anesthesia maintained with sevoflurane in air and oxygen. 4 mg of zofran will be administered approximately 20 minutes before the end of the surgical procedure. The LMA will be removed and the patient will be transported to the PACU at the conclusion of the surgery.

Study groups in NCT00645138
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Paravertebral BlockActive comparatorPatients receiving Paravertebral Block.
Receives: Procedure: Paravertebral Block
General AnesthesiaActive comparatorPatients receiving General Anesthesia.
Receives: Procedure: General Anesthesia

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Time in minutes until the patient is declared ready for discharge from the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

    Measured: Until PACU discharge

  2. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after PACU admission. A VAS score will also be assessed on the first postoperative day.

    Measured: Until PACU discharge and for 24 hours

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. The need for postoperative opioids in the PACU and during the first postoperative day will be assessed.

    Measured: 24 hours

  2. Episodes of nausea or vomiting in the PACU and during the first postoperative day will be assessed.

    Measured: 24 hours

  3. Total time spent in the operating room

    Measured: Perioperative

  4. Overall patient satisfaction

    Measured: After hospital discharge

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted27 Mar 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2008
  3. Primary completionMar 2010
  4. Study completionMar 2010

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
40 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00645138
Sponsor's protocol ID
0801009584
Status last verified
Aug 2011
First submitted
19 Mar 2008
Last updated
5 Aug 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Pusch F, Freitag H, Weinstabl C, Obwegeser R, Huber E, Wildling E. Single-injection paravertebral block compared to general anaesthesia in breast surgery. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 1999 Aug;43(7):770-4. doi: 10.1034/j.1399-6576.1999.430714.x.

    PubMed 10456819
  • McCartney CJ, Brull R, Chan VW, Katz J, Abbas S, Graham B, Nova H, Rawson R, Anastakis DJ, von Schroeder H. Early but no long-term benefit of regional compared with general anesthesia for ambulatory hand surgery. Anesthesiology. 2004 Aug;101(2):461-7. doi: 10.1097/00000542-200408000-00028.

    PubMed 15277930
  • Coveney E, Weltz CR, Greengrass R, Iglehart JD, Leight GS, Steele SM, Lyerly HK. Use of paravertebral block anesthesia in the surgical management of breast cancer: experience in 156 cases. Ann Surg. 1998 Apr;227(4):496-501. doi: 10.1097/00000658-199804000-00008.

    PubMed 9563536
  • Klein SM, Bergh A, Steele SM, Georgiade GS, Greengrass RA. Thoracic paravertebral block for breast surgery. Anesth Analg. 2000 Jun;90(6):1402-5. doi: 10.1097/00000539-200006000-00026.

    PubMed 10825328
  • Karmakar MK, Booker PD, Franks R. Bilateral continuous paravertebral block used for postoperative analgesia in an infant having bilateral thoracotomy. Paediatr Anaesth. 1997;7(6):469-71. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9592.1997.d01-118.x.

    PubMed 9365974
  • Richardson J, Vowden P, Sabanathan S. Bilateral paravertebral analgesia for major abdominal vascular surgery: a preliminary report. Anaesthesia. 1995 Nov;50(11):995-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1995.tb05939.x.

    PubMed 8678263
  • Wassef MR, Randazzo T, Ward W. The paravertebral nerve root block for inguinal herniorrhaphy--a comparison with the field block approach. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 1998 Sep-Oct;23(5):451-6. doi: 10.1016/s1098-7339(98)90026-8.

    PubMed 9773696
  • Eason MJ, Wyatt R. Paravertebral thoracic block-a reappraisal. Anaesthesia. 1979 Jul-Aug;34(7):638-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1979.tb06363.x.

    PubMed 517716
  • Gilbert J, Hultman J. Thoracic paravertebral block: a method of pain control. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 1989 Feb;33(2):142-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1989.tb02877.x.

    PubMed 2922982
  • Cheema SP, Ilsley D, Richardson J, Sabanathan S. A thermographic study of paravertebral analgesia. Anaesthesia. 1995 Feb;50(2):118-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1995.tb15092.x.

    PubMed 7710020
  • Terheggen MA, Wille F, Borel Rinkes IH, Ionescu TI, Knape JT. Paravertebral blockade for minor breast surgery. Anesth Analg. 2002 Feb;94(2):355-9, table of contents. doi: 10.1097/00000539-200202000-00023.

    PubMed 11812698
  • Evans PJ, Lloyd JW, Wood GJ. Accidental intrathecal injection of bupivacaine and dextran. Anaesthesia. 1981 Jul;36(7):685-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1981.tb08781.x.

    PubMed 6168207
  • Lonnqvist PA, MacKenzie J, Soni AK, Conacher ID. Paravertebral blockade. Failure rate and complications. Anaesthesia. 1995 Sep;50(9):813-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1995.tb06148.x.

    PubMed 7573876
  • Chan VWS, Perlas A, Rawson R, Odukoya O. Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block. Anesth Analg. 2003 Nov;97(5):1514-1517. doi: 10.1213/01.ANE.0000062519.61520.14.

    PubMed 14570677
  • Marhofer P, Sitzwohl C, Greher M, Kapral S. Ultrasound guidance for infraclavicular brachial plexus anaesthesia in children. Anaesthesia. 2004 Jul;59(7):642-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2004.03669.x.

    PubMed 15200537

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing Paravertebral Block and General Anesthesia in people with Breast Cancer, run by Weill Medical College of Cornell University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Aug 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Time in minutes until the patient is declared ready for discharge from the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) (time frame: Until PACU discharge). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00645138, which also lists 22 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Aug 2011; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.

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