Comparing two numbing medicines for pain after lung surgery
Tests liposomal bupivacaine and standard bupivacaine in adults having thoracoscopic lung surgery.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Shanghai, China
- Where
- Shanghai, ChinaSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Thoracic Surgery Intercostal Block Trial With Liposomal vs. Hydrochloride Bupivacaine
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 210 people, planned
- Started
- 1 Sept 2025
- Planned end
- 20 Sept 2026
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Liposomal Bupivacaine intercostal nerve block
- Bupivacaine Hydrochloride intercostal nerve block
- Standard Postoperative Analgesia
- Record updated
- 30 March 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults having planned keyhole (thoracoscopic) lung surgery on one side of the chest. It compares two nerve-block pain medicines, or no block, for pain after surgery.
- Age
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All sexes can join.
- Disease stage
- Planned elective unilateral thoracoscopic (VATS) lung surgery; ASA physical status I-III.
- Earlier treatment
- No opioid use before surgery, no history of chronic pain, and no history of opioid abuse.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Cannot have local anesthetics (infection at the puncture site, allergy, or bleeding risk)
- Abnormal sensation in the chest-wall area planned for surgery
- Liver or kidney problems, or dialysis within 28 days before surgery
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or not using adequate contraception, or planning pregnancy during the study
- Refusing to give informed consent
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 9 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Scheduled for elective unilateral thoracoscopic (VATS) lung surgery
- Age 18 to 80 years
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III
Who cannot take part
- Sensory abnormalities in the planned chest-wall surgical area
- Contraindication to local anesthetics (infection at puncture site, allergy to local anesthetics, coagulopathy or other bleeding risk)
- Preoperative opioid use, history of chronic pain, or history of opioid abuse
- Hepatic dysfunction (ALT > 50 U/L, AST > 40 U/L, or total bilirubin ≥ 19 μmol/L) or renal dysfunction (serum creatinine > 112 μmol/L, BUN > 7.1 mmol/L, or dialysis within 28 days before surgery)
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding, women of childbearing potential not using adequate contraception, or planning pregnancy during the study period
- Refusal to provide informed consent
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 80 years old?
Where in China
- Shanghai Pulmonary HospitalShanghai, ChinaContact: Shiyou WeiTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This randomized controlled trial evaluates the analgesic effects of liposomal bupivacaine compared to bupivacaine hydrochloride in intercostal nerve block for patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung surgery. Postoperative pain remains a significant issue in thoracic procedures, often leading to complications like pneumonia or delayed recovery. The investigators hypothesize that liposomal bupivacaine, with its extended-release properties, will provide superior pain relief beyond 24 hours compared to standard bupivacaine or no block. Participants will be randomized 1:1:1 to liposomal bupivacaine group , bupivacaine hydrochloride group , or control group . Primary outcome is the area under the curve of pain scores from 25-72 hours post-surgery. Secondary outcomes include opioid consumption, recovery quality (QoR-15), and other complications.
The 3 groups in the trial
- Liposomal Bupivacaine GroupTreatment being tested
Ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve block performed at the end of surgery before emergence from anesthesia using liposomal bupivacaine 266 mg (20 mL). Patients also receive standard postoperative analgesia with IV PCA (patient-controlled analgesia) opioids and regular acetaminophen
Treatment: Liposomal Bupivacaine intercostal nerve block
- Bupivacaine Hydrochloride GroupExisting treatment, for comparison
Ultrasound-guided intercostal nerve block performed at the end of surgery before emergence from anesthesia using 0.25% bupivacaine hydrochloride (20 mL). Patients also receive standard postoperative analgesia with IV PCA opioids and regular acetaminophen
Treatment: Bupivacaine Hydrochloride intercostal nerve block
- Control Group (Standard Analgesia Only)Sham treatment, for comparison
No intercostal nerve block, just wait same time. Patients receive standard postoperative analgesia consisting of IV PCA opioids and regular acetaminophen, beginning immediately after surgery.
Treatment: Standard Postoperative Analgesia
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Analgesic Efficacy Between Liposomal Bupivacaine and Bupivacaine Hydrochloride in Intercostal Nerve Block for Thoracic Surgery: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
- Plain-language title
- Comparing two numbing medicines for pain after lung surgeryGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07134660, who can take part
- Record updated
- 30 March 2026