Liver Cancer Trial, Recruiting

Written by an AI model from ClinicalTrials.gov eligibility criteria and checked on a sample basis. Please confirm against the original criteria.

Who might be able to join this trial:

• Adults aged 18 or older, of any gender, with no upper age limit.
• People rated as relatively healthy to moderately unwell under a standard pre-surgery health classification system (ASA physical status I to III).
• People scheduled for planned (non-emergency) open abdominal liver removal surgery through either a cut below the ribcage or down the middle of the abdomen, performed under general anaesthetic.
• If additional surgery is planned at the same time as the liver surgery, that extra surgery must not add more than one hour to the total operating time.
• People with a body mass index (BMI) between 17 and 40.
• Women who could become pregnant must have a negative pregnancy blood test at the screening visit and a negative urine pregnancy test before the procedure begins, must not be breastfeeding, and must not plan to breastfeed within 7 days after surgery.
• People who are willing and able to attend all study visits and follow-up appointments, and who can communicate clearly with the research team.
• People who are willing to take part voluntarily and can sign a dated consent form before any study procedures begin.

Who may not be able to join:

• People under 18 years of age.
• People requiring emergency surgery.
• People whose liver surgery is planned to be done using keyhole (laparoscopic) techniques rather than open surgery.
• People whose surgical incision is planned in a location other than below the ribcage or along the midline of the abdomen.
• People whose disease is clearly not removable by surgery at the time of signing consent.
• People who have previously had a liver transplant, a prior liver removal surgery, or have donated part of their liver.
• People who have had major open abdominal or chest surgery under general anaesthetic within the 30 days before this surgery.
• People for whom spinal or epidural anaesthesia is not suitable, including those with: anticipated difficulty with breathing tube placement; abnormal blood clotting results within 30 days of surgery; a bleeding disorder; recent or planned use of blood-thinning medications (other than low-dose aspirin or standard clot-prevention doses); a recent infection or fever within 48 hours before surgery; a history of nerve conditions affecting the spinal cord or below the chest; bowel or bladder control problems; a recent bleed inside the skull within 90 days; a skin or tissue infection at the site where an epidural would be placed; previous neck, chest, or spine surgery; a history of spinal tumour, fracture, or infection; or a steroid injection into the epidural space within the past 14 days.
• People with significant heart rhythm problems, a pacemaker, or serious heart disease classified as severe under a standard heart function scale (NYHA class III–IV).
• People with fluid overload, including those with fluid in the lungs or severely worsening heart failure.
• People with recent or ongoing kidney injury, or long-term kidney disease as defined by specific medical criteria (confirm with trial site).
• People with severely high sodium or chloride levels in the blood.
• People with ongoing or recent chronic pain, those who have used opioid pain medicines regularly in the past 30 days or for 90 or more days at any point, or those with a history of alcohol, opioid, or other substance misuse or dependence.
• People who have recently used high-dose steroid medications (such as prednisone at 7.5 mg per day or more) for an extended period within the past 6 months.
• People with a known allergy or sensitivity to local anaesthetic medicines, opioids, paracetamol (acetaminophen), latex, or other materials used in the study.
• People with altered mental status or barriers such as language, literacy, or psychiatric conditions that would prevent accurate reporting of pain or completion of study questionnaires.

Important: Always verify eligibility with the trial site directly before applying.