Study of Adding Intercostal Cryo-analgesia to Standard Pain Management After Minimally Invasive Lung Surgery

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the use of intercostal cryo-analgesia ICCA alongside standard pain management after minimally invasive lung surgery. This study aims to compare ICCA with standard care to see if it can improve recovery time, reduce pain and opioid use, and shorten hospital stays without causing nerve damage or other complications. The trial is a single-center, blinded, randomized controlled study including adults undergoing elective minimally invasive lung resections such as VATS or RATS. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group will receive ICCA applied to the intercostal nerves between ribs 3 and 7 using a cryotherapy device before the surgical wound is closed, in addition to standard pain management. The control group will receive standard postoperative pain management alone, which includes intercostal nerve block, patient-controlled analgesia, and acetaminophen. ICCA involves a freezing cycle lasting about 2 minutes at temperatures between -50C and -70C on five intercostal levels. During the study, participants will be assessed using the Quality of Recovery-15 QoR-15 questionnaire to measure overall recovery, with follow-up lasting up to 6 months. Researchers will also monitor pain scores, opioid consumption, additional pain relief use, postoperative complications, hospital stay length, and operative time. Safety risks such as numbness, nerve damage, neuropathic pain, bleeding, or lung collapse will be closely observed. The total duration of participation extends through the recovery and follow-up period to capture these outcomes.

Cryo Nerve Block Trial