Open Superficial Cervical Plexus Block for Analgesia in Neck Surgery

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A study to assess the efficacy of open superficial cervical plexus block for additional pain relief after thyroid and parathyroid surgery- a randomised controlled trial.

• IRAS ID

  24374

• Contact name

  Justin Morgan

• Sponsor organisation

  North Bristol Trust

• Eudract number

  2009 - 012671 - 98

• ISRCTN Number

  Unknown

• Research summary

  The study aims to find out whether using a local anaesthetic injection during the operation, as an additional method of analgesia (pain relief), will improve pain control after surgery on the thyroid and/ or parathyroid glands, found in the neck.patients will be randomised into 2 groups, the first of whom will receive local anaesthetic in addition to all regular oral and intravenous painkillers.The second group will receive all regular painkillers but no local anaesthetic injection.The lead researcher will be aware of which patientshad extra local anaesthetic.However the patients and the nursing staff assessing their pain after the operation will not know which have had extra local anaesthetic (single blinded).The method involves injection of local anaesthetic into a group of 4 nerves found under the skin in the neck, known as the cervical plexus.The injection will be given at the beginning of the operation, after the patient had been put to sleep.patients in both groups will receive exactly the same general anaesthetic.This anaesthetic will remain active throughout and after the operation.This should reduce the pain the patient will experience in the area when they wake up.This in turn may mean the patient will be discharged sooner.The Effectiveness of this method will be assessed on the basis of the severity of the patients pain, which will be assessed every 30 minutes after the end of the operation for a total of 4 hours and then once the following morning, by a nurse.Severity of pain will be assessed using a score from 1-10.We will also document the other types and quantities of oral and intravenous analgesia required by each patient in the first 36 hours after the operation.

• REC name

  South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  10/H0206/31

• Date of REC Opinion

  14 Sep 2010

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion