Thoracic Epidural Analgesia for Acute Pancreatitis With Early Organ Dysfunction
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-75
SponsorFirst People's Hospital of Chenzhou
About this trial
Acute pancreatitis may cause early respiratory, cardiovascular, or renal dysfunction and may require intensive care and organ support. Thoracic epidural analgesia may improve pain control, reduce systemic opioid exposure, and facilitate gastrointestinal recovery; however, its effect on overall organ support burden remains uncertain.
This is a single-center, prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group clinical trial. A total of 150 adults with acute pancreatitis within 72 hours of symptom onset and early respiratory, cardiovascular, or renal dysfunction will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either ropivacaine-only thoracic epidural analgesia plus standard care or standardized conventional analgesia plus standard care.
The primary outcome is alive and organ support-free days through day 14 after randomization. Secondary and exploratory outcomes include alive and organ support-free days through day 28, organ dysfunction-free days, ventilator-free days, renal replacement therapy-free days, vasoactive drug-free days, 28-day mortality, pain scores, systemic opioid exposure, gastrointestinal and nutritional outcomes, intra-abdominal pressure, inflammatory markers, complications, length of stay, hospital costs, and adverse events related to thoracic epidural analgesia.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Age 18 to 75 years, inclusive.
Diagnosis of acute pancreatitis based on at least two of the following three criteria: typical acute upper abdominal pain; serum amylase and/or lipase at least three times the upper limit of normal; or imaging findings consistent with acute pancreatitis.
Time from symptom onset to randomization of 72 hours or less.
Early respiratory, cardiovascular, or renal organ dysfunction, defined as a SOFA-2 subscore of 2 or greater in at least one of these three organ systems, requiring ICU admission for continuous monitoring and treatment. The SOFA-2 score will be calculated using the worst available values during the 24 hours before randomization; for participants admitted to the ICU for less than 24 hours, values available since ICU admission will be used. The organ dysfunction must be newly developed or clearly worsened from the participant's previous stable baseline.
Disqualifiers
Pregnancy or lactation.
Chronic pancreatitis or acute pancreatitis associated with a pancreatic tumor.
Prior retroperitoneal drainage, endoscopic drainage, surgical necrosectomy, or other invasive intervention before randomization that may substantially alter the natural course of the disease.
Invasive mechanical ventilation before randomization.
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Thoracic Epidural Analgesia With Ropivacaine
Procedure/SurgeryThoracic epidural block will be performed by an investigator qualified to perform neuraxial procedures and trained in the study protocol. Before catheterization, the clinical team will assess hemodynamic status, coagulation function, antithrombotic medication use, infection risk, respiratory status, and baseline neurological status. The puncture level will be selected according to the participant's condition and operator assessment, generally within the T7-T11 range to cover upper abdominal pain. After thoracic epidural catheter placement, a test dose of 1%-1.5% lidocaine 3 mL will be administered to exclude intrathecal or intravascular catheter placement. If the test dose is negative, a loading dose of ropivacaine may be administered, followed by continuous thoracic epidural infusion of ropivacaine alone. No epidural opioid, including sufentanil, fentanyl, or morphine, will be added to the epidural infusion in this study.
conventional analgesia
Other interventionConventional analgesia will be administered according to institutional practice and the participant's clinical condition. The analgesic target is an NRS score of 3 or less in conscious and communicative participants, or a CPOT score of 2 or less in non-communicative critically ill participants. Analgesic drugs, doses, routes, duration of administration, rescue analgesia, sedative use, and opioid consumption will be recorded.
Treatment groups
150 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Thoracic Epidural Analgesia GroupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Conventional Analgesia GroupActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Alive and Organ Support-Free Days Through Day 14 (AOSFD-14)
Alive organ support-free days to day 14 is defined as the number of days from randomization to day 14 during which the participant is alive and free of ICU-level organ support. ICU-level organ support includes invasive mechanical ventilation, noninvasive ventilation, continuous infusion of vasoactive or inotropic drugs, and renal replacement therapy. A day will be counted as organ support-free only if the participant is alive and does not receive any of these organ support treatments on that day. Participants who die within 14 days after randomization will be assigned 0 alive organ support-free days.
Time frame
From randomization through day 14Secondary outcomes
1
Organ Failure-Free Days to Day 14
Number of days from randomization to day 14 during which the participant is alive and free of respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal organ failure. Organ failure is defined as a SOFA subscore of 2 or higher in any of the following systems: respiratory, cardiovascular, or renal. Participants who die within 14 days will be assigned 0 organ failure-free days.
Time frame
From randomization to day 142
Alive Organ Support-Free Days to Day 28
Number of days from randomization to day 28 during which the participant is alive and free of ICU-level organ support, including invasive mechanical ventilation, noninvasive ventilation, vasoactive or inotropic drug infusion, and renal replacement therapy. Participants who die within 28 days will be assigned 0 days.
Time frame
From randomization to day 283
Ventilator-Free Days to Day 28
Number of days from randomization to day 28 during which the participant is alive and free of invasive mechanical ventilation. Participants who die within 28 days will be assigned 0 ventilator-free days.
Time frame
From randomization to day 284
Renal Replacement Therapy-Free Days to Day 28
Number of days from randomization to day 28 during which the participant is alive and free of renal replacement therapy. Renal replacement therapy includes continuous renal replacement therapy and intermittent hemodialysis for acute kidney injury. Participants who die within 28 days will be assigned 0 days.
Time frame
From randomization to day 28Locations
Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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