Intrathecal Morphine for Cesarean Delivery

October 30, 2025 updated by: Phillip Hess, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Optimal Dose of Intrathecal Morphine for Postoperative Analgesia After Cesarean Delivery

This is a randomized double blinded non-inferiority study comparing the duration of pain relief when patients receive one of three doses of spinal morphine. Enrolled patients will be randomly assigned to receive either 50 mcg, 150 mcg, or 250 mcg. All patients will receive standardized postoperative care, including multimodal analgesia. The primary outcome will be the time until the patient requests additional opioid pain medications.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

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

Prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, with a non-inferiority design. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive either intrathecal morphine 50 mcg, 150 mcg, or 250 mcg based on a pre-assigned randomization sequence. This medication will be administered as part of their spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. the patient, clinician who administers the spinal anesthesia, and investigator who follows the patient will all be blinded to the dose of medication.

All patients will receive standard of care for cesarean delivery and routine nursing care. This includes: preoperative intravenous catheter placement with preoperative IV fluid, standard American Society of Anesthesiologists monitoring, and neuraxial anesthesia placement (either spinal or combined spinal epidural) in sterile fashion. Each patient will receive standard cesarean induction dose of intrathecal medication consisting of 1.5ml of 0.75% hyperbaric bupivacaine, fentanyl 25 mcg. At end of surgery, all patients will receive standard dose of ketorolac 30 mg IV and acetaminophen 1 gm IV and continue with redosing every 6 and 8 hours (respectively) for 24 hours. On arrival to PACU, all patients will receive standard nursing care with standard monitoring of side effects. On discharge from PACU, patients will be transferred to postpartum floor and receive standard nursing care and monitoring.

Over the following 24 hours, the patient will receive all standard post-cesarean care. For treatment of breakthrough pain, medications will provided be per standard care: oxycodone 5-10 mg PO every four hours PRN for pain. If the patient is not comfortable after receiving oral oxycodone they will be assessed by an anesthesia provider for either regional nerve block or additional opioids, as a one-time dose or by patient controlled analgesia (PCA).

For treatment for side effects, medications will provided be per standard care: ondansetron 4mg IV as first-line for nausea/vomiting, promethazine 6.25 mg IV or Haloperidol 0.5-1mg IV for refractory nausea/vomiting. Naloxone 0.04 mg IV for refractory pruritus.

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.
72

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.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
        • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

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 to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy women (ASA 2)
  • Between 18 and 45 years old
  • Singleton term pregnancies
  • Planned neuraxial anesthesia

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Refusal to participate
  • Known allergy or contraindication to any medication used in the study
  • Significant medical or obstetrical disease (ASA ≥ 3)
  • Opioid use disorder
  • Chronic pain syndrome
  • Daily or near daily opioid use within last 3 weeks.
  • Patient receiving a Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MOAi)

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

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.
Active Comparator: 50 micrograms
Patients in this arm will receive 50 micrograms of morphine administered in the spinal fluid as part of their anesthesia for cesarean delivery
Drug: Morphine Sulfate
Morphine is administered to provide pain relief after cesarean delivery; this is an assessment of the dose-response as measured by the duration of pain relief
Active Comparator: 150 micrograms
Patients in this arm will receive 150 micrograms of morphine administered in the spinal fluid as part of their anesthesia for cesarean delivery
Drug: Morphine Sulfate
Morphine is administered to provide pain relief after cesarean delivery; this is an assessment of the dose-response as measured by the duration of pain relief
Active Comparator: 250 micrograms
Patients in this arm will receive 250 micrograms of morphine administered in the spinal fluid as part of their anesthesia for cesarean delivery
Drug: Morphine Sulfate
Morphine is administered to provide pain relief after cesarean delivery; this is an assessment of the dose-response as measured by the duration of pain relief

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
Duration of Pain Relief
Time Frame: 72 hours after delivery
Time to patient request for first dose of oral rescue pain medicine
72 hours after delivery

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
Pain Scores
Time Frame: 24 hours after delivery
Visual analogue pain scores reported by the patient. Scale measured on a line from 0 to 100 mm, with 0 representing 'no pain' and 100 representing 'worst possible pain'
24 hours after delivery
Quality of Recovery
Time Frame: 24 hours after delivery
Quality of Recovery Score following Cesarean Delivery Questionnaire (ObsQoR-11). This is a multi-dimensional wellness scale ranging from 0 (worst) to 120 (best) along 12 axis items.
24 hours after delivery
Nausea
Time Frame: 24 hours after delivery
Incidence of nausea and vomiting requiring treatment with a medication
24 hours after delivery
Pruritus
Time Frame: 24 hours after delivery
Incidence of pruritus requiring treatment with a medication
24 hours after delivery

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.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

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 (Actual)

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.
November 15, 2021

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.
July 23, 2022

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.
July 23, 2022

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).
September 25, 2021

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.
September 25, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

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.
October 6, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
November 13, 2025

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.
October 30, 2025

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.
October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

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.
  • 2021P000688

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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