Assessment of Morbidity and Mortality Following Serratus Anterior Plane Block (SAPB) for Unilateral Rib Fractures

Launched by ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · Jun 13, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a special pain relief method called the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) for adults who have multiple broken ribs on one side of their chest. The researchers want to see if using SAPB can help reduce complications like pneumonia, shorten hospital stays, improve recovery outcomes, and lower the risk of death compared to the usual pain medicines given through the veins. This study will follow patients from the time they arrive at the emergency room until they leave the hospital, or up to 60 days after their injury.

To be part of this study, patients must be adults over 18 who come to the emergency department within 24 hours of getting two or more broken ribs on one side of their front or side chest area. They also need to agree to participate or have a family member or healthcare proxy give permission. Patients who are very unstable, pregnant, prisoners, or have certain other medical conditions won’t be eligible. If a trained doctor is available, the patient may receive the SAPB injection for pain relief; if not, they will get standard opioid pain medicines. The study aims to better understand how well this nerve block works to manage pain and improve recovery after rib fractures.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients over 18 years of age being treated in the Emergency Department at Jacobi Medical Center
• • Presenting within 24 hours of injury
• • Patient with 2 or more unilateral, anterior or lateral rib fractures
• • Able to provide consent (patient or health care proxy)
• • Clinical team believes the patient will require inpatient admission at the time of enrollment
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients in traumatic arrest or hemodynamic instability
• • Patient expected to be discharged from the hospital within 24 hours
• • Prisoner
• • Pregnancy
• • Children less than 18 years of age
• • The patient is known or is suspected to be allergic to anesthetic
• • Significant pain from another traumatic and distracting injury
• • Patients without the ability to consent (or no health care proxy to consent)
• • Patients with bilateral or posterior rib fractures