Evaluation of Addition of Dexamethasone to Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Peripheral Nerve Block

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-11-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Male

Summary

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks are increasingly being performed after abdominal surgery to provide post operative analgesia. Dexamethasone has demonstrated an ability to prolong the effective duration of analgesia in several different peripheral nerve blocks. The study will examine, in a blinded, prospective and randomized fashion, whether the addition of dexamethasone to TAP blocks similarly prolongs blockade and pain relief. The study will compare local anesthetic with and without the addition of dexamethasone in the TAP block.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Steward St. Elizabeth's Medical Center of Boston, Inc.
• Treatments: BB 1101; Bupivacaine; Dexamethasone; Dexamethasone 21-phosphate; Dexamethasone acetate

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male patients, between ages 18-85 years old, undergoing Robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy by a single surgeon at a single hospital.

• Subjects are physically and mentally able to participate in the study.

• Subjects are able to give fully informed consent to participating in this study after demonstrating good understanding of the risks and benefits of the proposed components of the TAP block.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Demonstrated hypersensitivity or allergy to local anesthetics or dexamethasone.

• Any subject whose anatomy, or surgical procedure, in the opinion of the investigator, might preclude the potential successful performance of a TAP block.

• Any subject, who in the opinion of the investigator, might be harmed or be a poor candidate for participation in the study.