AzTrials
AzTrials

ThoracicPhase 4NCT03708198

Pharmacokinetics of Single-Dose Liposomal Bupivacaine in Surgeon Performed Intercostal Nerve Blocks

A Phase 4 study testing Liposomal Bupivacaine in people with Thoracic, run by University of Virginia 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
Search all trials

Trial summary

Post-surgery pain management is critical for ensuring timely patient recovery and minimizing complications. Part of the multimodal approach to managing severe acute pain in the days following surgeries is the use of nerve blocks. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Thoracic
What is being tested?
Liposomal Bupivacaine
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
15 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
11 Jun 2018to 11 Aug 2020
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • over 18 years of age
  • Undergoing thoracotomy

Who cannot join

  • Non-English speaking
  • Pregnant women (self reported)
  • Prisoners
  • Weighing <50 kg
  • Allergy to local anesthetics
  • Unable to consent for themselves

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Virginia Health System

    Charlottesville, Virginia, 22908

Other trials in United States

About this study

Post-surgery pain management is critical for ensuring timely patient recovery and minimizing complications. Part of the multimodal approach to managing severe acute pain in the days following surgeries is the use of nerve blocks. The relatively short-lived effect of commonly used local anesthetics recently prompted the development and subsequent approval of a liposomal formulation of bupivacaine (Exparel; Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Parsippany, New Jersey). It has demonstrated favorable pharmacokinetics compared to bupivacaine HCl(hydrochloride), with a slower release into blood stream of up to 96 hours after administration, following a single dose wound infiltration at the end of various surgeries. Studies using other modes of administration reported similar results.

Thoracic surgeries pose an exceptional challenge as they are one of the most painful surgeries and poor pain-management contributes to reduced quality of life and severely delayed recovery. The anesthesiology protocol within the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program at medical centers across the world aim to increase patient comfort after surgery while reducing complications and use of opioids. As a common part of this protocol, intercostal nerve blocks with liposomal bupivacaine are regularly utilized for reduction of post-thoracotomy pain and studies show that it may be just as or more effective than bupivacaine HCl for treatment of pain, decreasing hospital stays and reducing the incidence of complications.

Despite its frequent use in the surgical room for nerve blocks, the pharmacokinetics of a single dose injection of liposomal bupivacaine at the intercostal nerves has never been investigated. The aim of this study is to assess the pharmacokinetics of liposomal bupivacaine injected at the intercostal nerves. The results of this small-scale study will aid in the development of larger such studies in the future, and may aid in the standardization of post-thoracotomy pain management. Specifically, the information gleaned from this study will allow for the optimal use of additional local anesthetics, particularly those administered intravenously, for the purpose of obtaining maximal pain relief while minimizing the occurrence of local anesthetic toxicity.

Read the detailed description

In this study, patients who are undergoing thoracotomies will be consented separately from the surgery itself.

Patients will be consented for the study in the surgical clinic or on the day of the surgery in the Surgical Admission Suites (SAS), prior to being taken to the OR. The study participants will be given a standard 266 mg single dose injection of liposomal bupivacaine by the surgeon at the start of the surgery. Immediately prior to the injection of the local anesthetic, 5 ml of blood will be drawn from the patient via the arterial line. The arterial line will be placed as part of standard surgery procedure and not for the purposes of the study. Blood will then be drawn from the patient after the injection of the local anesthetic at 5 mins, 15 mins, 30 mins, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Each blood draw will be 5 ml. Blood will be drawn a total of 13 times.

The arterial line will not remain in the patient for the purposes of the study and will be removed per standard procedure. If more blood samples are needed after the arterial line is removed, we will first attempt to obtain blood an existing venous catheter. If blood cannot be obtained this way, a venipuncture will be performed.

Blood samples will be analyzed for the following pharmacokinetic parameters: area under the serum concentration-time infinity (AUC), maximum observed serum concentration (Cmax), time to attain Cmax (Tmax), and apparent terminal elimination half-life (T1/2).

At the time blood samples are drawn, pain scores will be recorded on a standard ten-point pain scale. These pain scores will be omitted if the patient is under general anesthesia.

Conditions
Thoracic
Being tested
Liposomal Bupivacaine

What participants receive

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

  • Liposomal BupivacaineDrug

    intercostal block

Study groups in NCT03708198
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intercostal Nerve BlockOtherThe study participants will be given a standard 266 mg single dose injection of liposomal bupivacaine by the surgeon at the start of the surgery.
Receives: Drug: Liposomal Bupivacaine

What is being measured

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

  1. Tmax, or the Time Until the Maximum Concentration

    the tmax, or the time until the maximum concentration

    Measured: until study completion, which is 6 months on average

Timeline

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

  1. First posted17 Oct 2018
  2. Study start11 Jun 2018
  3. Primary completion11 Oct 2019
  4. Study completion11 Aug 2020

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 4
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
15 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03708198
Sponsor's protocol ID
180006
Status last verified
May 2022
First submitted
8 Jun 2018
Last updated
23 May 2022
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Hu D, Onel E, Singla N, Kramer WG, Hadzic A. Pharmacokinetic profile of liposome bupivacaine injection following a single administration at the surgical site. Clin Drug Investig. 2013 Feb;33(2):109-15. doi: 10.1007/s40261-012-0043-z.

    PubMed 23229686
  • Davidson EM, Barenholz Y, Cohen R, Haroutiunian S, Kagan L, Ginosar Y. High-dose bupivacaine remotely loaded into multivesicular liposomes demonstrates slow drug release without systemic toxic plasma concentrations after subcutaneous administration in humans. Anesth Analg. 2010 Apr 1;110(4):1018-23. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e3181d26d2a.

    PubMed 20357145
  • De Cosmo G, Aceto P, Gualtieri E, Congedo E. Analgesia in thoracic surgery: review. Minerva Anestesiol. 2009 Jun;75(6):393-400. Epub 2008 Oct 27.

    PubMed 18953284
  • Mehran RJ, Walsh GL, Zalpour A, Cata JP, Correa AM, Antonoff MB, Rice DC. Intercostal Nerve Blocks With Liposomal Bupivacaine: Demonstration of Safety, and Potential Benefits. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2017 Winter;29(4):531-537. doi: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2017.06.004. Epub 2017 Jun 6.

    PubMed 29698654
  • Rice DC, Cata JP, Mena GE, Rodriguez-Restrepo A, Correa AM, Mehran RJ. Posterior Intercostal Nerve Block With Liposomal Bupivacaine: An Alternative to Thoracic Epidural Analgesia. Ann Thorac Surg. 2015 Jun;99(6):1953-60. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2015.02.074. Epub 2015 Apr 23.

    PubMed 25912739

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Liposomal Bupivacaine in people with Thoracic, run by University of Virginia 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 2 inclusion and 6 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 23 May 2022. 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 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

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

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 23 May 2022). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Tmax, or the Time Until the Maximum Concentration (time frame: until study completion, which is 6 months on average). 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 NCT03708198, which also lists 5 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 23 May 2022.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in