Study Database

Study name CAMELOT
Study type multi centre RCT
Brief study description  To establish if the use of rectus sheath catheter (RSC) delivered local anaesthetic (LA) infusion in addition to standard analgesia, is superior to standard analgesia without RSC, as defined by the Overall Benefit of Analgesia Score (OBAS) over the first 5 postoperative days.
Primary outcome(s)  Overall Benefit of Analgesia Score (OBAS) over the first 5 postoperative days. OBAS is a patient-reported composite endpoint of pain scores, opioid side-effects, and patient satisfaction (range 0 [best] to 28 [worst]).
Estimated recruitment target 750
Study start date Jan-23
Estimated completion date Sept-25
Adding centres? Yes
Study URL  https://bristoltrialscentre.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/details-of-studies/camelot/
Study twitter handle @CamelotStudy
PI Mark Edwards
PI email  camelot-trial@bristol.ac.uk
Co-investigators  Ronelle Mouton

Trial name/acronym: Early Rib Analgesia with SERratus: ERASER Trial

Brief study description : Could adding local anaesthetic to the fracture area using Serratus Anterior Plane Block (SAP) help patients to better manage their pain and reduce the rate of developing lung infections?

Primary outcome: To determine whether treating multiple rib fractures (MRF) patients with serratus anterior plane block (SAP) decreases the rates of pneumonia five days after randomisation

Recruitment target: 824

Recruitment start date (actual or estimated): Actual – June 2023

Recruitment end date (actual or estimated): 31-October 2026

Seeking additional UK recruiting sites? YES

Study URL. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/bctu/trials/portfolio-v/eraser 

Study twitter handle: @EraserTrial

Study Chief Investigator and lead centre: Tonny Veenith

Study contact email address: ERASER@trials.bham.ac.uk

Brief study findings (if applicable)  N/A -still active live study

A multicentre, randomised cross-over equivalence trial investigating knowledge of anatomy following virtual reality or standard teaching in novice anaesthetists

Brief study description

This is a non-clinical randomised controlled trial of resident anaesthetists undergoing training in regional anaesthesia. Residents will be randomised to one of two groups for each training session day:

• Standard anatomical training (Group A)
• Virtual reality based anatomical training. (Group B)

Then followed by another training day session and participants will enter either
standard or VR teaching depending on the previous allocation:
• Standard anatomical training (Group B)
• Virtual reality based anatomical training. (Group A)

Anatomical knowledge will be tested in both groups using an on-line questionnaire

Primary outcome

Score out of 44 on a validated test of anatomy and sono-anatomy

Other outcomes

Before training

• Handedness (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory)
• Subjective sleepiness (Karolinska scale)
• Motor reaction time (Psychomotor Vigilance test)
• Attention control (Anti-Saccade test)
• Mental rotation (Mental Rotation Task)
• Depression Anxiety, Stress (DASS score)
• Visual Search Task (Divided Attention)
• Knowledge pretraining

After training and testing
• Knowledge after training session
• Acceptability: Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8)
• Usability: CyberSickness in Virtual Reality Questionnaire (CSQ-VR)
• Immersion: Witmer and Singer Presence Questionnaire
• Subjective workload (NASA – TLX scale)
• Cognitive Demand Battery (CBD)
• Resource use: Calculation of cost differences between learning
 Modalities

Recruitment target: 102

Recruitment start date (actual or estimated): October 2025

Recruitment end date (actual or estimated): Estimated Sep/Oct 2026

Seeking additional UK recruiting sites?: No

Study URL: N/A

Study twitter handle: N/A

Study Chief Investigator and lead centre: Dr Boyne Bellew

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore

Study contact email address: boyne.bellew@nhs.net  

Brief study findings : N/A

Study full name: CATERPILLAR: Continuous wound infusion catheters for postoperative analgesia after paediatric laparotomy - a RCT.

Study type: RCT (NIHR HTA researcher led funding stream)

Brief description: A placebo-controlled trial to investigate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a continuous infusion of local anaesthetic via wound infusion catheters (WICs) on pain scores on movement, compared to placebo via WICs, for patients aged 6 months to 18 years undergoing laparotomy. 

Primary outcome: Pain scores on movement at 48 hours post-operatively (using the FLACC or FLACC revised pain scale). 

Recruitment target: 520 patients across 14-16 UK children's hospitals

Start date: July 2027
Estimated competition date: July 2032

Seeking centres (yes/no): yes 

Study URL: Pending

CI name and email: Caroline Wilson (caroline.wilson@uhbw.nhs.uk)

Co-lead investigator: Jane Blazeby

Study name: Nerve Block for Chronic Pain After Knee Replacement Surgery (the BaCPAKS trial): A multi-centre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of adding an adductor canal block to standard perioperative approaches in primary elective knee joint replacement

Study type: Multicentre RCT

Brief description:
RESEARCH QUESTION What is the clinical and cost-effectiveness of adding an adductor canal nerve block (ACB) to spinal or general anaesthesia, with local infiltration analgesia (LIA), for primary elective knee replacement (KR) surgery?

BACKGROUND Primary knee replacement (KR) is one of the most painful surgical operations, with up to 60% of patients complaining of moderate-to-severe pain during the hospital stay. Unmanaged acute postoperative pain may lead to chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), a highly debilitating condition affecting up to 44% of patients after KR. Perioperative nerve blocks may reduce the risk of transition from acute to chronic pain. AIM To conduct a multicentre randomised controlled trial, with an internal pilot and economic evaluation, to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of ACB plus LIA, and LIA only, in primary elective KR surgical patients.

OBJECTIVES a. To determine if there is a difference in the magnitude of chronic pain at 6-months after KR surgery, between the ACB and usual care with LIA b. To complete a 6-month internal pilot to estimate the feasibility of recruitment c. To estimate the difference between the intervention and control groups with respect to a range of patient-reported and clinical secondary outcomes d. To explore the differential effect of nerve block within pre-specified sub-groups e. To assess the relative cost effectiveness f. To conduct a Study Within A Trial (SWAT) to investigate methods for increasing participants' understanding of the trial results, by comparing written with animated formats of dissemination

METHODS Design Pragmatic, multicentre, randomised sham-controlled trial, with an embedded pilot, a SWAT and an economic evaluation Population Any adult undergoing primary KR surgery for any indication Intervention ACB in addition to general and/or spinal anaesthesia and LIA Comparator Sham ACB in addition to general and/or spinal anaesthesia and LIA Primary outcome Pain magnitude at 6 months post-surgery Secondary outcomes a) Patient reported outcomes (acute and chronic pain; quality of life; pain interference, neuropathic pain) b) Health outcomes (opioid consumption, time to mobilise, complications, secondary procedures) c) Resource utilisation Follow-up Up to 12 months post surgery

TIMELINES FOR DELIVERY Months 1-9 (9 months): Trial preparation and start-up Months 10-15 (6 months): Embedded internal pilot period Months 16-33 (18 months): Main trial recruitment Months 34-45 (12 months): Follow-up Month 46-51 (6 months): Data cleaning, analysis, preparation and submission of final report Month 49-57 (9 months): SWAT Total duration: 57 months IMPACT If the trial finds that ACB is superior to usual care in terms of improving pain after KR surgery and being cost-effective, then the adoption of this technique will benefit patients undergoing KR surgery and the health service and will lead to change in care pathways and guidelines. If no benefits are found the trial would provide evidence to stop the use of ineffective treatments within the NHS.

DISSEMINATION The results will be shared with stakeholders including patients, doctors, professional societies, trial networks, patient support groups, and NHS policy makers. The findings will be published in major medical journals, presented in national and international scientific meetings and made available on the websites of health professional societies and social media.

Primary outcome: Pain magnitude at 6 months post-surgery

Recruitment target: 1,000 patients

Start date: April 2025

Estimated competition date: December 2029

Seeking centres: Yes

Study URL: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/bctu/trials/primary-care/bacpaks/trial-overview 

CI: Dr Ciro Morgese (bacpaks@trials.bham.ac.uk)

• Study name: Development of ultrasound at end of needle
• Study type: Laboratory
• Brief study description: Build of 48 element ultrasound epidural needle
• Primary outcome(s): Proof of concept
• Estimated recruitment target:
• Study start date: Jan-15
• Estimated completion date:
• Adding centres?: Heriot Watt
• Study URL:
• Study twitter handle:
• PI: Graeme McLeod
• Pl Email: g.amai.mcleod@dundee.ac.uk
• Co-investigators

• Study name: Recognition of interscalene and scaitic nerves on ultrasound images using Artificial Intelligence.
• Study type: Translational
• Brief study description: Artificial intelligence recognition of nerves
• Primary outcome(s): Recognition of nerve
• Estimated recruitment target:
• Study start date: Jun-19
• Estimated completion date: Open
• Adding centres?: Napier
• Study URL:
• Study twitter handle:
• PI: Graeme McLeod
• PI email: g.a.mcleod@dundee.ac.uk
• Co-investigators:

Study name: Development of educational models using augmented and virtual reality.
Study type: Translational
Brief study: description Building 3D interactive virtual neuraxis
Primary outcome(s): Viirtual CT neuraxis
Estimated recruitment target:
Study start date: Jun-21
Estimated completion date:
Adding centres?: No
Study URL:
Study twitter handle:
PI: Graeme McLeod
PI email: g.a.mcleod@dundee.ac.uk 
Co-investigators