Pulsatile Pressure Waveform to Confirm Correct Placement of the Epidural in Laboring Patients

February 24, 2016 updated by: Ilana Sebbag, Lawson Health Research Institute

Efficacy of the Presence of a Pulsatile Pressure Waveform to Confirm Correct Placement of the Epidural Needle and Catheter in Laboring Pregnant Patients: a Feasibility Study

Epidural analgesia is highly effective for labor pain relief and is widely chosen by pregnant patients. However, placement of the epidural needle can be challenging in pregnant patients due to lax tissue ligaments and edema so that the traditional loss of resistance method (LOR) used to find the space may be subtle leading to retries which may delay onset of analgesia as well as increase the risk of complications. The ability to transduce a pulsatile pressure waveform from epidural needles placed in non-laboring patients correlates highly with successful placement of the epidural needle. We wish to evaluate the efficacy of obtaining a pulsatile pressure waveform with correct epidural needle placement in laboring women.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

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Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Patients requesting epidural labor analgesia will be eligible for recruitment. After written informed consent is obtained, placement of monitors and aseptic technique, the 17G epidural needle will be placed using the loss of resistance (LOR) technique to air or saline at the lumbar level chosen by the anesthesiologist. When LOR occurs, the needle will then be filled with 2 mL NaCl 0.9% from that syringe and the pressure monitoring accessory will be connected to the needle. The second investigator will then connect the high pressure tubing to the acessory without touching it, and the pressure will be zeroed at level of the needle insertion. Pressure will then be transduced and the waveform, recorded. An epidural catheter (SIMS Portex) will then be passed through the needle and advanced 5 cm beyond the tip of the epidural needle. After securing the epidural catheter in place, the patient will be placed on the lateral position. The catheter will then be filled NaCl 0.9% from a syringe and a high-pressure tubing extension leveled at the spine level will be connected to the catheter and the pressure will be transduced and recorded. Data recorded will include 2 parameters: 1) The presence or absence of a pulsatile waveform, and 2) The actual pressure read at the epidural space, in mmHg. Those readings will be obtained in 2 distinct moments: at a " rest" state, meaning during an interval between contractions, and at an "active" state, during the first contraction after the epidural catheter is placed. A test dose of 3 mL of 2% lidocaine with epinephrine1:200.000 will then be given to exclude potential spinal or intravascular injection. After 3 minutes, a loading dose of 10mL of 0,125% bupivacaine will be given for labor analgesia and the presence or absence of a bilateral sensorial block at T10 or higher at 30 min will be assessed.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
15

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5A5
        • Victoria Hospital- LHSC

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female Patients
  • ASA I-III
  • Term Pregnancy (>37 weeks)
  • 18 years or older
  • Early Labour (<6 cm of cervical dilation)
  • BMI<40

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any contraindication to epidural analgesia placement (coagulopathy, sepsis, infection at site, increased ICP, hypovolemia, unstable ischemic heart disease, unstable neurologic disease, severe aortic stenosis, prior spinal surgery, LA allergy)
  • Serious concern for maternal or fetal wellfare.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Epidural Pressure Waveform

Study Population:

  • Term pregnancy
  • in labour
  • 18 years of age or older.
Procedure: Epidural Pressure Waveform
When loss of resistance occurs, a high-pressure tubing extension will be connected to the needle and the pressure will be transduced and the waveform, recorded. An epidural catheter will then be passed through the needle and connected to a high-pressure tubing extension and the pressure will be transduced and recorded. A test dose of 3 mL of 2% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:200.000 will then be given to exclude potential spinal or intravascular injection. After 3 minutes, a loading dose of 10 mL of 0,125% bupivacaine will be given for labor analgesia and the presence or absence of a bilateral sensorial block at T10 or higher at 30 min will be assessed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Epidural Needle Insertion Success
Time Frame: 30 min after loading dose
Presence of a pulsatile pressure waveform at the epidural needle as a good predictor of a successful epidural block 30 min after local anesthetic injection
30 min after loading dose

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Epidural Pressure in mmHg
Time Frame: 5 min after epidural needle insertion
Epidural pressures during uterine contractions and in-between contractions in mmHg
5 min after epidural needle insertion
Epidural Waveform at the Catheter
Time Frame: Immediately after epidural catheter insertion
Presence or absence of an epidural waveform measured through the epidural catheter right after insertion
Immediately after epidural catheter insertion

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Lawson Health Research Institute

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Indu Singh, MD, FRCPC, University of Western Ontario, Schulich School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesia

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 10, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 17, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 24, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 25, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 24, 2016

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 106323

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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