Recruiting

Transversus Abdominis Plane Blocks

Sponsor:

University of Calgary

Code:

NCT06324942

Conditions

Cesarean Section Complications

Pain, Postoperative

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: Female

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Surgeon-administered Transversus Abdominis Plane Block 0.25% bupivicaine 0.25 mL/kg

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate whether or not adding a Transversus Abdominis Plane Block (TAP block) improves pain control for patients having a cesarean section. A TAP block is a type of nerve block where at the end of the surgery an injection of a long acting local anesthetic is made into the abdominal wall. In studies in patient's having other abdominal surgeries this has reduced the amount of narcotics patients need for pain control. This may also led to patients being more active after surgery and maybe spending less time in hospital.

Conditions

Cesarean Section Complications

Pain, Postoperative

Study ID

NCT06324942

Start date

Feb 19, 2025

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: Female

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • ASA status II to III
  • All patients undergoing elective CS under regional anesthesia at any gestational age.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • \- Known drug allergy to local anesthetics
  • Planned general anesthetic
  • NSAID use contraindicated post partum
  • Chronic pain disorder or chronic narcotic use/dependence
  • Planned vertical abdominal incision
  • Planned Cesarean Hysterectomy.
  • Placenta Previa or suspected Placenta Accreta

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Surgeon-administered Transversus Abdominis Plane Block (TAP block)

After uterine closure, the anterior abdominal wall on the contralateral side to the surgeon is elevated and retracted laterally by an assistant. The bowel and uterus is retracted using the surgeon's non-dominant hand, with or without a sponge. Under direct visualization, a blunted spinal needle is inserted lateral to the rectus muscle to avoid injury to inferior epigastric blood vessels. The needle is then gently advanced through the transversus abdominis fascia into the TAP plane, identified at loss of resistance, or 'a pop'. After aspiration to confirm no accidental placement of the needle intravascularly, local anaesthetic is infiltrated into the transverse abdominis plane through the parietal peritoneum by the surgeon at a prespecified dose of 0.25% bupivicaine 0.25 mL/kg (approximately 20cc). This is repeated on the contralateral side, after which closure of the fascia, subcutaneous tissue, and skin were performed.

no intervention: No TAP block

A sham procedure will not be performed but the patient will be unaware of whether or not an injection was done.

Interventions

Surgeon-administered Transversus Abdominis Plane Block 0.25% bupivicaine 0.25 mL/kg

Surgeon-administered Transversus Abdominis Plane Block

Primary outcome measure

  • Post operative Pain [ Time Frame: 12 hours post op ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Stephen Wood, MD

4039441438slwood@ucalgary.ca

Locations

University of Calgary

Recruiting

Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 2T9

Contacts

Stephen Wood, MD

403-944-1438stephen.wood@albertahealthservices.ca

More Information

Sponsor

University of Calgary

Last update posted

Jun 15, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Calgary on 2026-06-15.