Pilot Study of Anesthesia for Inguinal Hernia Surgery in Older Adults

This study is looking at different types of anesthesia for inguinal hernia (a bulge in the groin area) surgery in adults aged 60 and older. It compares open hernia repair using local anesthesia (lidocaine with epinephrine and Marcaine injected at the surgical site) with general anesthesia (inhaled and intravenous medicine to make you unconscious). A third group will have laparoscopic or robotic hernia repair with general anesthesia. The main goal is to gather information to help plan a larger study in the future. Researchers want to see how many eligible patients join, how many complete all study visits, and how much data is missing. About 80 participants will be enrolled, and the study status is currently unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll about 80 participants. It will compare three different approaches for inguinal hernia repair.
What's involved
You would need to complete all study requirements, including follow-up visits for six months after surgery.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants will be followed for six months after surgery.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT04706026

A Pilot Study of Local Anesthesia for Inguinal Hernia Surgery in Older Adults

Active, Not Recruiting
NAAges 60+InterventionalTreatment
University of Wisconsin, Madison
~18 participants
Updated 2026-08-14 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Open Inguinal Hernia Repair - Local AnesthesiaInguinal Hernia Repair - General Anesthesia

At a glance

Recruiting sites
0 of 3 listed sites are recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Rates of enrollment and percentage of eligible patients enrolled
Measured over Through study completion, estimated 2 years
+6 more outcomes measured
Inguinal Hernia
Anesthesia, Local
3 sites across 2 states
Texas2
Wisconsin1
  • Courtney Balentine, MD, MPH · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Wisconsin, Madison

This trial hasn't published a contact. View it on ClinicalTrials.gov

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Age greater than or equal to 60 years
Presenting to clinic with a unilateral inguinal hernia that is not incarcerated
Considered suitable for either general or local anesthesia
Willing to complete all study requirements, including follow-up continuing until six months after surgery
English speaking

Exclusion

The hernia that the patient is being evaluated for has undergone prior repair
Any contraindications to general anesthesia
Allergies to local anesthesia
Evidence of hernia incarceration or strangulation
Active local or systemic infection that would preclude the use of mesh for hernia repair
Need for concurrent surgical repair at the time of hernia repair
English is not the patient's primary language
Enrollment in other research studies
Clinical judgement of surgeon or anesthesiology
Current pregnancy
Unwilling to provide consent
Current active illegal drug use
Current alcoholism
Claustrophobia
Unable to tolerate lying in supine position for greater than 30 minutes
  • Rates of enrollment and percentage of eligible patients enrolledThrough study completion, estimated 2 years

    Each week, research assistants will compile running counts of patients screened, found eligible, and enrolled.

  • Proportion of participants completing all study visitsThrough study completion, estimated 2 years

    Assistants will maintain counts of participants who complete each study visit.

  • Proportion of missing dataThrough study completion, estimated 2 years

    At each visit, every study visit will be entered into our electronic database and missing items will have a separate code number.

  • Time to complete study evaluations and instrumentsTime from beginning to end of completing study instrument, up to 2 hours

    Assistants will time participants while completing each study research form and will time the entire encounter.

  • Participant satisfactionAt 6 month follow up

    A 10 point likert scale will measure participant satisfaction. Scores range from 1-10 with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction.

  • Whether Survey Instruments Can Be Eliminated due to Redundancy measured by R2 greater than 40%measured at 25 percent of planned enrollment and 75 percent of planned enrollment, estimated to be up to 1.5 years

    Each survey instrument will be evaluated as the dependent variable in a separate linear regression with the scores of all other instruments used as predictors, along with demographic information. The adjusted R2 (explained variance) for each regression will be estimated. Any instrument where the R2 exceeds 40% will be eliminated based on the idea that little additional information is provided by including that instrument (i.e., the other surveys explain a substantial portion of the information contained within that instrument).

  • Estimate sample size for fully powered randomized trialFinal sample size estimate will be performed after data collection for the last patient is complete, estimated up to 2 years

    For continuous variables, means and standard deviations will be estimated. For categorical variables, estimated proportions and 95% confidence intervals.