Postoperative Pulmonary Complications (PPCs)FPB-PPCNCT07394816
Can Ultrasound-Guided Fascial Plane Blocks Reduce Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Major Abdominal Surgery?
An observational study of Postoperative Pulmonary Complications (PPCs) and Abdominal Surgeries, run by Dr Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This prospective observational study aims to evaluate whether the use of ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks is associated with a lower incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in adult patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 65 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Postoperative Pulmonary Complications (PPCs), Abdominal Surgeries, Postoperative Pain Management
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Injection or infusion
- How many people
- 500 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2026to 15 Aug 2026
- Phase
- Observational
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 65 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Older adult
Study population: The study population consists of patients aged 65 years and older who are scheduled to undergo elective major abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. Eligible participants will be managed in a tertiary care hospital and will be allocated to either a fascial plane block group or a control group receiving standard perioperative analgesia. The study aims to evaluate postoperative outcomes in an elderly surgical population with comparable baseline characteristics.
Who may be able to join
- Age 65 years or older
- Scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery (e.g., colorectal, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, or gastric surgery)
- ASA physical status II-III
- Ability to provide written informed consent
- Planned use of general anesthesia with or without adjunct regional techniques
Who cannot join
- Refusal or inability to provide informed consent
- Known allergy or contraindication to local anesthetics
- Coagulopathy or ongoing anticoagulant therapy contraindicating regional anesthesia
- Infection at the site of planned block
- Pre-existing chronic opioid use or chronic pain syndrome
- Severe hepatic, renal, or cardiac failure (e.g., Child-Pugh C, end-stage renal disease, EF <30%)
Show all 9Show fewer
- Cognitive impairment or severe dementia preventing adequate pain assessment
- Emergency surgery
- Body mass index (BMI > 40 kg/m²)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Hospital
Yenimahalle, Ankara, 06370
arif timuroglu, +905072601980, ariftimuroglu@yahoo.com
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Ultrasound-Guided Fascial Plane Blocks on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study
This prospective observational study aims to evaluate whether the use of ultrasound-guided fascial plane blocks is associated with a lower incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in adult patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery under general anesthesia.
Patients will be observed in two groups based on routine clinical practice: those who receive an ultrasound-guided fascial plane block for postoperative analgesia and those managed with other standard analgesic methods. The choice of analgesic technique will be determined by the responsible anesthesia team and not influenced by the study.
Postoperative pulmonary complications occurring within the first 7 days after surgery will be recorded using reopening the European Perioperative Clinical Outcome (EPCO) criteria. Secondary outcomes will include unplanned intensive care unit admission, length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality. No additional procedures or interventions will be performed for research purposes.
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Fascial Plane Block Group | Patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery who receive an ultrasound-guided fascial plane block at the end of surgery as part of routine clinical practice for postoperative analgesia. The decision to perform the block is made by the responsible anesthesia team and is not influenced by the study protocol. | |
| Control Group | Patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery who do not receive an ultrasound-guided fascial plane block and are managed with other routine postoperative analgesic methods, including epidural analgesia, intravenous patient-controlled analgesia, or oral analgesics, according to standard clinical practice. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs)
Postoperative pulmonary complications will be defined and recorded according to the European Perioperative Clinical Outcome (EPCO) criteria.
Measured: Within the first 7 postoperative days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Feb 2026
- Study start1 Mar 2026
- Primary completion1 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion15 Aug 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Postoperative Pulmonary Complications (PPCs)Studies 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 500 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Dr Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Arif Timuroğlu, MD, Dr Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital
- Investigators
- arif timuroglu, Principal investigator, Dr. Abdurrahman yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07394816
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2025-12/186
- Acronym
- FPB-PPC
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 31 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 30 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be shared due to institutional policies and concerns regarding patient confidentiality and data protection.