Liposomal Bupivacaine vs Continuous Nerve Catheters for Below the Knee Amputations

Pain, Postoperative Clinical Trial

Official title:

A Prospective, Randomized Trial of Liposomal Bupivacaine Compared to Continuous Nerve Catheters on Pain Control and Post-Operative Opioid Use in Receiving Popliteal Nerve Blocks for Below the Knee Amputation

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05140499
• Other study ID #: 1807862-1
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 4
• Start date: August 15, 2022
• Est. completion date: January 31, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: March 2024
• Source: MaineHealth
• Contact: Janelle M Richard
• Phone: 2076622862
• Email: richaj3[@]mmc.org
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Through this pilot prospective trial, we aim to obtain preliminary data investigating the effectiveness of perineural catheters and liposomal bupivacaine, both currently accepted as standard care at Maine Medical Center, for the management of post-limb amputation pain. We will use the data that we collect to inform the design of a larger, appropriately powered study.

Description:

Lower extremity amputation is a common surgical procedure often due to limb ischemia or complications related to diabetes mellitus. Managing postoperative pain can be quite challenging in this patient population and persistent post-surgical pain is not uncommon. Peripheral nerve catheters (PNCs) that deliver a continuous infusion of local anesthetic have been shown to provide analgesic benefit dependent upon infusion duration and in the absence of catheter malfunction. Unfortunately, PNCs can be difficult to place and rates of dislodgement are estimated at 30%. Single shot regional nerve blocks using liposomal bupivacaine are much easier to perform than PNCs and can provide up to 72 hours of pain relief, eliminating the need for catheter placement. To date, no study has investigated the effects of liposomal bupivacaine compared to PNCs for post-surgical pain control. In this pilot study, we intend to compare pain scores, opioid consumption, and length of stay in patients randomized to both treatment strategies. We also intend to conduct an exploratory analysis investigating incidence of phantom limb pain one month following surgery. Our results will inform the design of a larger powered study to investigate treatment effects.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 30
• Est. completion date: January 31, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification I-IV

• Scheduled for primary amputation or stump revision

• English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients unable to cooperate or consent to the study

• Allergy to local anesthetics

• Existing infection at planned needle insertion site

• BMI > 40kg/m2

• Patients with a history of coagulopathy

• Emergency amputations

• Contralateral amputations

• Patients with a substance use disorder diagnosis

• Patients on opioids >90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME)/day

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Amputation
• Pain, Postoperative

Intervention

Drug:
• Liposomal bupivacaine
Popliteal nerve block
• Bupivacaine Hydrochloride 0.5 % Injectable Solution
Continuous nerve catheter

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Maine Medical Center	Portland	Maine

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Ryan Mountjoy, MD	MaineHealth

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (24)

Bergese SD, Ramamoorthy S, Patou G, Bramlett K, Gorfine SR, Candiotti KA. Efficacy profile of liposome bupivacaine, a novel formulation of bupivacaine for postsurgical analgesia. J Pain Res. 2012;5:107-16. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S30861. Epub 2012 May 1. — View Citation

Borg L, Howard SK, Kim TE, Steffel L, Shum C, Mariano ER. A comparison of strength for two continuous peripheral nerve block catheter dressings. Korean J Anesthesiol. 2016 Oct;69(5):506-509. doi: 10.4097/kjae.2016.69.5.506. Epub 2016 Jul 25. — View Citation

Borghi B, D'Addabbo M, White PF, Gallerani P, Toccaceli L, Raffaeli W, Tognu A, Fabbri N, Mercuri M. The use of prolonged peripheral neural blockade after lower extremity amputation: the effect on symptoms associated with phantom limb syndrome. Anesth Analg. 2010 Nov;111(5):1308-15. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e3181f4e848. Epub 2010 Sep 29. — View Citation

Davidovitch R, Goch A, Driesman A, Konda S, Pean C, Egol K. The Use of Liposomal Bupivacaine Administered With Standard Bupivacaine in Ankle Fractures Requiring Open Reduction Internal Fixation: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial. J Orthop Trauma. 2017 Aug;31(8):434-439. doi: 10.1097/BOT.0000000000000862. — View Citation

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Gallagher P, MacLachlan M. Development and psychometric evaluation of the Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Scales (TAPES). Rehabilitation Psychology. 2000: 45(2), 130-154.

Hussain N, Brull R, Sheehy B, Essandoh MK, Stahl DL, Weaver TE, Abdallah FW. Perineural Liposomal Bupivacaine Is Not Superior to Nonliposomal Bupivacaine for Peripheral Nerve Block Analgesia. Anesthesiology. 2021 Feb 1;134(2):147-164. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000003651. — View Citation

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Kehlet H, Jensen TS, Woolf CJ. Persistent postsurgical pain: risk factors and prevention. Lancet. 2006 May 13;367(9522):1618-25. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68700-X. — View Citation

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Madabhushi L, Reuben SS, Steinberg RB, Adesioye J. The efficacy of postoperative perineural infusion of bupivacaine and clonidine after lower extremity amputation in preventing phantom limb and stump pain. J Clin Anesth. 2007 May;19(3):226-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2006.07.008. — View Citation

Mazloomdoost D, Pauls RN, Hennen EN, Yeung JY, Smith BC, Kleeman SD, Crisp CC. Liposomal bupivacaine decreases pain following retropubic sling placement: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Nov;217(5):598.e1-598.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.07.001. Epub 2017 Jul 8. — View Citation

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Nikolajsen L, Ilkjaer S, Jensen TS. Effect of preoperative extradural bupivacaine and morphine on stump sensation in lower limb amputees. Br J Anaesth. 1998 Sep;81(3):348-54. doi: 10.1093/bja/81.3.348. — View Citation

Prabhakar A, Ward CT, Watson M, Sanford J, Fiza B, Moll V, Kaye RJ, Morgan Hall O, Cornett EM, Urman RD, Kaye AD. Liposomal bupivacaine and novel local anesthetic formulations. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2019 Dec;33(4):425-432. doi: 10.1016/j.bpa.2019.07.012. Epub 2019 Jul 19. Erratum In: Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2021 Dec;35(4):E1-E2. — View Citation

Richardson C, Glenn S, Nurmikko T, Horgan M. Incidence of phantom phenomena including phantom limb pain 6 months after major lower limb amputation in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Clin J Pain. 2006 May;22(4):353-8. doi: 10.1097/01.ajp.0000177793.01415.bd. — View Citation

Yan Z, Chen Z, Ma C. Liposomal bupivacaine versus interscalene nerve block for pain control after shoulder arthroplasty: A meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Jul;96(27):e7226. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000007226. — View Citation

* Note: There are 24 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Pain assessed by Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)	Average NRS pain scores (0-10, 0=no pain, 10=worst possible pain)	72 hours post-operatively
Secondary	Opioid Consumption	Total amount of opioid medication given, in morphine milligram equivalents	72 hours post-operatively
Secondary	Post-operative Length of Stay	Length of stay in hours	Measured from surgical stop time to discharge time, an average of 5 days.
Secondary	Post-operative Pain assessed by the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SFMPQ-2)	Total SFMPQ-2 score (low score of 0, no pain to a high score of 220, worst possible pain)	30 days following surgery
Secondary	Phantom Limb Pain assessed using questions from the Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experiences Scales-Revised (TAPES-R)	Measured using questions 4 and 5 from Part II of the TAPES-R (scores can range from 0, no pain, to 22, severe pain)	30 days following surgery