Infraspinatus-teres minor nerve block to reduce pain after shoulder surgery
Official title: A Novel Approach to Shoulder Analgesia: Infraspinatus-teres Minor Block for Pre-emptive Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Shoulder Surgeries: A Randomized Controlled Study
Run by Zagazig University · NCT06999460 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This will see if giving an infraspinatus-teres minor nerve block before general anesthesia reduces pain, opioid use, and recovery time in adults having unilateral shoulder surgery.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 21 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 60 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Zagazig University Government |
| Locations | 2 sites (Zagazig, Egypt and 1 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | June 9, 2025 |
| Main results expected | December 30, 2025 |
| Study ends | January 30, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | June 12, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT06999460 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are adults 21–65 years old with BMI 25–30 kg/m2, ASA I–II, scheduled for unilateral shoulder surgery under general anesthesia lasting less than three hours who agree to participate.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with contraindications to regional anesthesia, chronic opioid therapy, severe systemic disease, or certain neurological disorders are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Adults aged 21–65 undergoing unilateral shoulder surgery under general anesthesia will receive either an infraspinatus-teres minor (ITM) block before induction or standard general anesthesia without the block. Pain will be measured using numerical rating scores at rest and during movement, and opioid use (rescue morphine and intraoperative fentanyl) will be tracked, particularly in the first 24 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes include time to discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit, opioid-related side effects, block-related complications, and patient-reported satisfaction on a 5-point scale. The protocol excludes patients with contraindications to regional anesthesia, chronic opioid therapy, or significant uncontrolled systemic disease, and limits surgeries to under three hours.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If effective, the block could lower opioid requirements, improve pain control, reduce opioid side effects, and speed early recovery after shoulder surgery.
How similar studies have gone: Other shoulder regional blocks (for example suprascapular and interscalene blocks) have shown benefit for postoperative analgesia, but the specific infraspinatus-teres minor block approach is less widely studied.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * • Patients' acceptance. * Age: Adults aged 21-65 years old. * BMI: 25-30 kg/m2 * Sex: both sexes (males or females). * Patients undergoing unilateral shoulder surgey under general anesthesia. * ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) physical status classification I to II. * Duration of the surgery \< 3hours. Exclusion Criteria: * • Patients with contraindications to regional anesthesia (e.g. local or systemic infections, or severe neurological or muscular or bleeding disorders or patient on anticoagulant). * Allergy to study medications: bupivacaine or dexamethasone, or dexmedetomidine * Patients with severe cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, or hepatic diseases, uncontrolled diabetes , or those undergoing chronic opioid therapy. * Psychiatric disorders that hinder informed consent or study participation. * history of neurological diseases or conditions that would affect the efficacy of nerve blocks (e.g., neuropathy, spinal cord injury, or history of severe muscle weakness). * Patients with nerve injury or disease around the shoulder joint, including thoracic outlet syndrome, Multiple sclerosis, cervical disc disease with ipsilateral radiculopathy, or patients with abnormal sensory or motor function of the upper limb.
Where it's running
-
Faculity of medicine, Zagazig university, Zagazig
Zagazig, Egypt, Egypt Recruiting -
Faculty of human medicine, Zagazig university, Zagazig
Zagazig, Egypt Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Dina Elsadek Salem, MD
- Email: dinamaghraby@yahoo.com
- Phone: 01099333513
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.