Real-time Ultrasound Guidance for Thoracic Epidural Blocks

University of Chile

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Abdomen Tumors; Analgesia; Rib Fractures; Thoracic Tumors

Treatments: Procedure: Real-time ultrasound guidance for thoracic epidural catheter placement.

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05165498

OAIC 1037/19

Details and patient eligibility

About

Various modalities have been proposed for real-time confirmation of loss of resistance (LOR) for thoracic epidural blocks. With real-time ultrasound (US) guidance, the anesthesiologist attempts to visualize the sonographic advancement of the epidural needle and penetration of the epidural space (as detected by LOR)

This observational study is set out to confirm the reliability of real-time ultrasound guidance as an adjunct to LOR for thoracic epidural blocks.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age between 18 and 80 years
• American Society of Anesthesiologists classification 1-3
• Body mass index between 20 and 35 (kg/m2)

Exclusion criteria

• Adults who are unable to give their own consent
• Sepsis (assessed by history and physical examination and, if deemed clinically necessary, by blood work up i.e. leukocytosis, increased c-reactive protein, increased procalcitonin)
• Coagulopathy (assessed by history and physical examination and, if deemed clinically necessary, by blood work up i.e. platelets ≤ 100, International Normalized Ratio ≥ 1.4 or prothrombin time ≥ 50)
• Allergy to local anesthetics (LAs)
• Prior surgery in the thoracic spine

Trial design

100 participants in 1 patient group

Patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery, abdominal surgery, or having rib fractures

Description:

Patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery, abdominal surgery, or having rib fractures who will have placed a thoracic epidural catheter to manage their perioperative analgesia.

Treatment:

Procedure: Real-time ultrasound guidance for thoracic epidural catheter placement.