ESPBs vs TAPs for Satisfactory Analgesia Following DIEP Surgery
Who can join
Ages 18 to 70 · Women
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult women with breast cancer, ASA 1-3, undergoing DIEP flap surgery Exclusion Criteria: * Chronic opioid use contraindications to local anesthetics or regional analgesia Inability to communicate intensity of pain on a numeric analog scale
About the study
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in American women . For patients who have undergone surgical mastectomy, autologous breast reconstruction is an alternative option to breast implants. Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flaps are the gold standard for autologous breast reconstruction . Effective pain control following surgery is imperative and ultrasound-guided bilateral transversus abdominis plane blocks (TAPs) with the infiltration of local anesthetics, such a ropivacaine are a common regional technique of choice . A newer described technique, bilateral Erector Spinae Plane blocks (ESPBs) (which also are an infiltration of local anesthetic) present as an alternative approach for post-operative analgesia. ESPBs have been proven efficacious in reducing intra- and post-operative opioid requirements, lessening the need for rescue analgesics in other similar surgical procedures.
The hypothesis is that preoperative bilateral ESPBs could provide equivalent pain control as a regional analgesic for patients undergoing DIEP flap surgery when compared to preoperative bilateral TAPs
What is being tested
- Pre-operative Erector Spinae Plane block prior to DIEP surgery (procedure)
- Pre-operative Transversus Abdominus Plane blocks prior to DIEP surgery (procedure)
Sponsor: University of Kansas Medical Center · Participants: 102 · Started: Nov 1, 2023
Contact the study team
- Rachel Keller · Phone: 9139458072
- Manuel Clark · Phone: 9139455763
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06091241
Locations in the U.S.
| Kansas | University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.