Evidence Hub

A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blinded, Active-comparator, Non-inferiority Study to Observe Relative Efficacy of Ultrasound-guided Transmuscular Quadratus Lumborum Block Versus Class Lumbar Plexus Block in Managing Post-operative Pain Following Total Hip Replacement Surgery

ClinicalTrials.gov · COMPLETED, 2020

46 participants

Abstract

The Lumbar Plexus (LP) block is currently used as the standard-of-care regional anesthesia technique to provide postoperative pain management after primary hip replacement surgery at UPMC Shadyside Hospital. However, the LP technique is complex and can be associated with potentially serious side effects, including nerve injury, major bleeding, retroperitoneal hematoma, and intrathecal injection of local anesthetic. In rare instances the LP block can also lead to motor blockade, interfering with early ambulation. There are several case reports of Quadratus Lumborum inter-fascial block (QL3) giving equally adequate pain relief after total hip replacement surgery, and this QL3 block is performed routinely at this institution. The benefits to inter-fascial administration of local anesthetic include the avoidance of theoretical nerve injury, bleeding and intrathecal anesthetic administration associated with the direct interaction between the nerve and the nerve block needle. The purpose of this study is to show that QL3 block is non-inferior to the standard-of-care lumbar plexus block and should be used more regularly in hip replacement surgery. The study will be conducted as a prospective, randomized (1:1), double-blind, non-inferiority, active-comparator trial. The investigators plan to enroll 40 subjects, 20 in each treatment group. This study will prospectively investigate the efficacy of QL3 versus Classic LP block for post-operative pain management in subjects undergoing…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 46 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free