EffecT of eARly analGesia With Erector Spinae Plane Block to Reduce Ventilation After Severe Chest Trauma

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

ESP block: Patients in the experimental group will have a continuous Erector Spinae Plane Block within the first 6 hours post-admission, with a continuous 1ml/h infusion of Ropivacaine (2mg/ml) associated with a 25 ml bolus every 6h. The catheter will be used from the trauma bay to the ICU as long as possible with a dedicated infusion pump (with a bolus mode). In case of accidental catheter removal, a second introduction of ESP block catheter is allowed within the first 24 hours. In case of continuous ESP block failure (incidence \< 5% of the total experimental group), patients will be switched to the control group.

Study summary

Blunt chest trauma is commonly associated with rib fractures and early pain management is a key goal after chest trauma. In spontaneous breathing patients, pain limits coughing efficiency and secretion clearance, thereby potentially leading to progressive atelectasis, loss of functional residual capacity (FRC) and, ultimately, respiratory distress. In patients under mechanical ventilation, pain interacts with the weaning of mechanical ventilation inducing an increase of the duration of invasive ventilation. According to recent French guidelines for chest trauma management, immediate analgesia is initially performed by intravenous multimodal analgesia followed by a thoracic epidural analgesia or a paravertebral block if the pain is not controlled within the first 12 hours. However, these blocks necessitate an experienced anaesthesiologist, are at risk of severe complications and are contraindicated in case of post-traumatic coagulopathy. All these considerations limit their indication in the trauma bay. The erector spinae plane (ESP) block is an easy to perform, ultrasound guided, regional anaesthesia for pain management after thoracic surgery. This block can be made continuously with a dedicated catheter for a continuous infusion of local anaesthetic drug with boli. The ESP block is performed by depositing the local anaesthetic in the fascial plane, deeper than the erector spinae muscle at the tip of the transverse process of the vertebra. This block is less invasive with fewer contraindications as compared to epidural analgesia or paravertebral blocks. After chest trauma, ESP block was associated with an improvement in respiratory capacity in a retrospective study. However, there is no randomised control trial assessing ESP efficacy. Our hypothesis is that early continuous ESP block in the trauma bay decreases the number of days with invasive and/or non-invasive ventilation after chest trauma.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Assess the effect of early analgesia with continuous ESP block after chest trauma on the number of days alive and without invasive or non-invasive ventilation. — 30 days
  The primary endpoint is alive and ventilator free days (VFD) within the first 30 days or hospital discharge, whichever occurred first.

Trial sites (14)

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