Ketamine as an Adjuvant in External Oblique Intercostal Plane Block for Post Thoracotomy Pain

Launched by TANTA UNIVERSITY · Aug 17, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at whether adding a medicine called ketamine to a type of pain relief called an external oblique intercostal plane block can help reduce pain after a surgery called a thoracotomy, which is when doctors make an incision in the chest. The goal is to see if ketamine can make this pain relief method work better after the surgery.

People who might be able to join this study are adults aged 18 and older who are scheduled for open chest surgery (thoracotomy) and are generally in good health, without serious heart, liver, or kidney problems. Participants should not have allergies to local numbing medicines, opioid addiction, infections where the injection would be given, or certain other health issues. If you join, you can expect to receive the usual pain relief during and after surgery, with the addition of ketamine to see if it improves how well the pain block works. This study is not yet recruiting participants, so it’s still in the early stages.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age ≥ 18 years.
• • Both sexes.
• • American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status I-III.
• • Scheduled for open thoracotomy.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with neurological or intellectual disability.
• • Infection at the injection site.
• • Opioid addiction.
• • Allergic reaction to local anesthetics.
• • Coagulation abnormalities.
• • Drug abuse.
• • Pregnancy.
• • Severe liver and/or renal failure.
• • Severe cardiovascular problems.