Knee OsteoarthritisNCT05601427
Intra-Operative Adductor Canal Blocks
A study testing aACB and sACB in people with Knee Osteoarthritis and Knee Arthritis, run by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Adductor canal blocks (ACB) have been recommended in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to provide better control of post-operative pain, facilitate early ambulation, and reduce length of stay in the hospital. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Knee Osteoarthritis, Knee Arthritis, Knee Pain Chronic
- What is being tested?
- aACB and sACB
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 22 Mar 2023to 28 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- 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
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Male and female patients aged 18 years or older
- Primary TKA booked as SDD
- Diagnosis of osteoarthritis
Who cannot join
- Inability or refusal to sign informed consent form
- Non-English or French speaking, and no licensed translator, family member or substitute decision maker available.
- Non-osteoarthritis primary diagnosis
- Allergy to analgesic medications
- Contraindication to spinal and/or regional anaesthesia
- Any use of opioid pain medication within four weeks of the index procedure(13)
Show all 16Show fewer
- Pain catastrophizing scale score ≥16 (8, 9, 14)
- History of cirrhosis
- History renal insufficiency
- History or sensory and/or motor neuropathy to the ipsilateral limb
- Simultaneous, bilateral TKA
- Non-TKA prosthesis
- Scheduled for non-SDD TKA.
- Preoperative varus/valgus of >10 degrees.
- Planned General Anaesthetic
- Use of Intrathecal Morphine
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Efficacy of Surgeon-performed, Intraoperative Adductor Canal Blocks in Same-Day Discharge Total Knee Arthroplasty
Adductor canal blocks (ACB) have been recommended in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to provide better control of post-operative pain, facilitate early ambulation, and reduce length of stay in the hospital. ACB is typically done before surgery by an anesthesiologist, which may increase time per case, cost, and requires the specialized skills of an anesthesiologist trained in regional anesthesia. Recent studies have suggested that surgeons can safely and reliably administer the adductor canal blocks (sACB) during surgery. However, there is currently very limited data on the clinical efficacy of such sACBs, and no studies assessing this technique in the context TKA that are discharged the same day. As such, this randomized control trial (RCT) is being done to compare sACBs to conventional anesthesiologist-performed adductor canal blocks (aACB).
- Conditions
- Knee Osteoarthritis, Knee Arthritis, Knee Pain Chronic, Anesthesia
- Being tested
- aACB, sACB
- Medical subject headings
- Osteoarthritis, Knee
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
aACBProcedure or surgery
The patient will undergo a pre-operative single-shot, ultrasound-guided ACB performed by an anaesthesiologist skilled in regional anaesthesia techniques. The ACB will be performed in a dedicated block room, immediately prior to administration of a spinal anaesthetic.
sACBProcedure or surgery
The patient will undergo an intraoperative single-shot ACB performed by the treating surgeon following placement of the TKA components.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist-Performed Adductor Canal Block (aACB) | Active comparator | Patients will get a pre-operative adductor canal block performed by an anesthesiologist. Receives: Procedure: aACB |
| Surgeon-Performed Adductor Canal Block (sACB) | Experimental | Patients will get an intra-operative adductor canal block performed by the surgeon Receives: Procedure: sACB |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Patient Report Pain
Mean Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) scores on discharge
Measured: Up to 24 hours
Pain medication use
morphine equivalents of pain medication
Measured: When spinal anesthesia resolves until 24 hours after surgery
Secondary outcomes (8)
Time to discharge
Post-operative time in minutes to discharge home
Measured: From PACU to discharge
Admission to Hospital
Failure to discharge home requiring admission
Measured: Up to 24 hours post-operative
Readmission Rate
Number of patients readmitted to the hospital within 24 hours
Measured: Up to 24 hours post-operative
Timed Up and Go Test
Time is takes, in seconds, to stand, walk 3m, turn around, walk back 3m, and sit back down
Measured: At discharge
Patient Reported Quality of Recovery
Score on the Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire
Measured: At 24 hours post-operative
Patient Reported Function
Difference in scores on the Oxford knee score (questionnaire), rated from 0-48 with 48 being the best functional outcome and 0 being the worst
Measured: pre-operatively, at 2 weeks post-operative
Patient Reported Quality of Life
Difference in scores on the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire (Euro Quality of Life, 5 Dimension, 5 Level), rated from 11111 - 55555, with 11111 being full health and 55555 being worst health
Measured: pre-operatively, at 2 weeks post-operative
Patient Reported Global Health
Difference in scores on the PROMIS-10 - Global Health (questionnaire), which generates T-scores. Higher T-scores indicate better health.
Measured: pre-operatively, at 2 weeks post-operative
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 Nov 2022
- Study start22 Mar 2023
- Primary completion13 Oct 2025
- Study completion28 Dec 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Knee OsteoarthritisStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Simon Garceau, MD, Principal investigator, The Ottawa Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05601427
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 20220573-01H
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Sep 2022
- Last updated
- 27 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Efficacy of Surgeon-performed, Intraoperative Adductor Canal Blocks in Same-Day Discharge Total Knee Arthroplasty
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05601427
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 20220573-01H
- Conditions
- Knee Osteoarthritis, Knee Arthritis, Knee Pain Chronic, Anesthesia
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Ottawa Hospital Research InstituteUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
- Study start
- 22 Mar 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 13 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 28 Dec 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 1 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Adductor canal blocks (ACB) have been recommended in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to provide better control of post-operative pain, facilitate early ambulation, and reduce length of stay in the hospital. ACB is typically done before surgery by an anesthesiologist, which may increase time per case, cost, and requires the specialized skills of an anesthesiologist trained in regional anesthesia. Recent studies have suggested that surgeons can safely and reliably administer the adductor canal blocks (sACB) during surgery. However, there is currently very limited data on the clinical efficacy of such sACBs, and no studies assessing this technique in the context TKA that are discharged the same day. As such, this randomized control trial (RCT) is being done to compare sACBs to conventional anesthesiologist-performed adductor canal blocks (aACB).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist-Performed Adductor Canal Block (aACB) | Active comparator | Procedure: aACBPatients will get a pre-operative adductor canal block performed by an anesthesiologist. |
| Surgeon-Performed Adductor Canal Block (sACB) | Experimental | Procedure: sACBPatients will get an intra-operative adductor canal block performed by the surgeon |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Male and female patients aged 18 years or older
- Primary TKA booked as SDD
- Diagnosis of osteoarthritis
Key exclusion criteria (16 listed)
- Inability or refusal to sign informed consent form
- Non-English or French speaking, and no licensed translator, family member or substitute decision maker available.
- Non-osteoarthritis primary diagnosis
- Allergy to analgesic medications
- Contraindication to spinal and/or regional anaesthesia
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| aACBThe patient will undergo a pre-operative single-shot, ultrasound-guided ACB performed by an anaesthesiologist skilled in regional anaesthesia techniques. The ACB will be performed in a dedicated block room, immediately prior to administration of a spinal anaesthetic. | Procedure or surgery | Anesthesiologist-Performed Adductor Canal Block (aACB) |
| sACBThe patient will undergo an intraoperative single-shot ACB performed by the treating surgeon following placement of the TKA components. | Procedure or surgery | Surgeon-Performed Adductor Canal Block (sACB) |
Primary outcome
Patient Report Pain
Time frame: Up to 24 hours
Mean Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) scores on discharge
Pain medication use
Time frame: When spinal anesthesia resolves until 24 hours after surgery
morphine equivalents of pain medication
8 secondary outcomes
Time to discharge
Time frame: From PACU to discharge
Admission to Hospital
Time frame: Up to 24 hours post-operative
Readmission Rate
Time frame: Up to 24 hours post-operative
Timed Up and Go Test
Time frame: At discharge
Patient Reported Quality of Recovery
Time frame: At 24 hours post-operative
Patient Reported Function
Time frame: pre-operatively, at 2 weeks post-operative
Patient Reported Quality of Life
Time frame: pre-operatively, at 2 weeks post-operative
Patient Reported Global Health
Time frame: pre-operatively, at 2 weeks post-operative
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Simon Garceau, MD principal investigator
The Ottawa Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing aACB and sACB in people with Knee Osteoarthritis and Knee Arthritis, run by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute at 1 site in Canada.
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 3 inclusion and 16 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 27 May 2026. 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 Canada. 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.
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?
Patient Report Pain (time frame: Up to 24 hours). 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?
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 27 May 2026.