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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
General symptoms and signs
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An estimated 7200 thoracotomies (surgical incision into the chest wall) are performed annually in the UK, most commonly to treat lung cancer. It is considered one of the most painful surgical procedures due to tissue, muscle and nerve damage from the incision, and as the wound heals. The normal breathing motion and nerve injury caused during surgery can result in a high risk of persistent pain for months after surgery. Chronic post-thoracotomy pain (CPTP) is defined as pain that recurs or persists at least two months following the surgery and can occur in up to half of these patients
There are two commonly used for pain control during thoracotomy: Thoracic Epidural Block (TEB) blocks nerves on both sides of the chest at the spinal cord. It reduces painful nerve signals but may not abolish them completely. Para Vertebral Blockade is done only on the side of surgery and may completely block painful nerve signals from reaching the spinal cord. This total blockade of nerve signals could decrease the likelihood of developing chronic pain and could be uniquely effective in preventing long-term pain.
Over a period of 30 months this trial will be attempting to approach all patients undergoing a thoracotomy at approximately 20 UK hospitals to see if they wish to participate, and to look at the reasons they may not want to participate. We will follow up each participant for a maximum of a year following their surgery.
There is a qualitative intervention embedded within this study to support recruitment.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Type: Surgery;Active Monitoring;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
•Contraindication to TEB or PVB e.g. known allergy to local anaesthetics; infection near the proposed puncture site; coagulation disorders, thoracic spine disorders •Surgery for chest wall pathology on the side of surgery •Emergency thoracic surgery •Previous thoracotomy •Median sternotomy within 90 days
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
The study is sponsored by University of Birmingham and funded by NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Co-ordinating Centre (NETSCC) .
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 38673
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