Awake Caudal Catheter vs General Anesthesia

March 4, 2024 updated by: Gohalem Felema, Nemours Children's Clinic

Awake Caudal Catheter Infusion Versus General Anesthesia and Single-dose Caudal Injection for Preterm Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Patients Undergoing Inguinal Herniorrhaphy.

It is well established that preterm inguinal hernias discovered in the NICU pose a significant surgical risk due to the associated co-morbid conditions that accompany these patients. Currently, the standard of care in the United States is general anesthesia. There have been studies that have established that elective outpatient repair of inguinal hernias found in the NICU can be safely performed. Patients that are ready for discharge from the NICU will have inguinal hernia repair prior to leaving. Inguinal hernia repair will also be done on those premature infants that are seen in the Nemours surgical clinic. Spinal anesthesia is currently the most common anesthetic procedure used in the surgical treatment of preterm inguinal hernias after general anesthesia. Caudal catheter technique has been proven to safely provide post-operative care of premature infants. The caudal catheter technique involves placement of a small catheter under ultrasound guidance into the caudal epidural canal to allow re-dosing of local anesthetic during the case and has been shown to be safe and effective management in neonates (Somri M, 2007).

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

This is a prospective, blinded, randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of awake caudal catheter infusion versus single dose caudal injection and general anesthesia in the surgical management of preterm infant inguinal hernia repair. Spinal anesthesia has been advocated for but highly rejected in the pediatric surgical community due to its high failure rate, which can be up to 28%. Spinal anesthesia is a form of regional anesthesia involving injection of a local anesthetic into the subarachnoid space, via a fine needle, in a single injection. The failure rate has to do with the time constraint of spinal anesthesia, which is approximately 1 hour. It is difficult to perform a bilateral inguinal hernia in that time duration, necessitating a return trip to the operating room for the contralateral side or intubation midway through the surgical case. An alternative to spinal anesthesia that results in an ability to sustain regional anesthetic effect for a longer duration is the caudal catheter infusion. We hypothesize that awake caudal catheter infusion will allow for the following benefits (1) greater than 2 hour anesthetic time via re-dosing which will allow for the completion of the planned surgical procedure (2) exhibit a negligible failure rate (3) minimize post-operative complications that have been associated with general anesthesia in the preterm neonate.

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.
20

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 Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32207
        • Nemours Children's Clinic

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Preterm infants less than 60 weeks post gestational age born at less than 37 weeks gestational age.
  • Patients in the NICU will meet discharge criteria with or without supplemental oxygen prior to surgical scheduling for inguinal hernia repair.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient undergoing other invasive procedures (i.e. gastrostomy tube placement, tracheostomy, laser eye treatment)
  • Medical condition that would prevent a regional anesthetic from being performed (i.e. bleeding diathesis, vertebral anomalies, and spinal cord injury prior to surgery)
  • Contradictions to the prescribed medications in the protocol.

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: Double

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: Caudal Infusion
Awake continuous caudal infusion.
Drug: Bupivacaine, Dexmedetomidine, Caffeine, Tylenol
bupivacaine .3% + 1: 200,000 epinephrine (dose 3mg/kg). Dexmedetomidine 0.5mcg/kg, Caffeine 15mg/kg, rectal Tylenol 30mg/kg
Active Comparator: General anesthesia
General anesthesia and single-dose caudal injection
Drug: Propofol, rocuronium, caffeine, Tylenol, bupivacaine

propofol 3mg/kg and rocuronium 0.6mg/kg. Caffeine 15mg/kg and rectal Tylenol 30mg/kg.

single shot caudal with bupivacaine 0.25% + 1:200,000 epinephrine (total dose 2.5mg/kg)

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
Number of Participants With Return to Baseline Respiratory Function.
Time Frame: Within 24 hours post operative
Within 24 hours post operative
Surgical Completion.
Time Frame: Within 24 hours
Within 24 hours
Number of Apneic Episodes.
Time Frame: 24 hours post operative
Cessation of breathing by a premature infant that lasts for more than 20 seconds and/or is accompanied by hypoxia or bradycardia.
24 hours post operative
Number of Bradycardia Events.
Time Frame: 24 hours post operative
heart rate <90.
24 hours post operative

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
Time Frame
Days to Hospital Discharge From Surgery
Time Frame: up to 10 days
up to 10 days
Number of Episodes Requiring Post-operative Narcotics Usage.
Time Frame: 24 hours post operative
24 hours post operative
Operative Time.
Time Frame: Intraoperative, up to 100 minutes.
Intraoperative, up to 100 minutes.
Participants Requiring Mechanical Ventilation.
Time Frame: After 24 hours post operative
After 24 hours post operative
Number of Participants Returning to Full Feeds.
Time Frame: Within 24 hours post operative
Within 24 hours post operative

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.
Nemours Children's Clinic

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: Robert B Bryskin, MD, Nemours Children's Clinic

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.
March 8, 2016

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.
March 8, 2018

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.
March 8, 2018

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).
June 16, 2023

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.
June 16, 2023

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.
June 26, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
April 2, 2024

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.
March 4, 2024

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.
March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 16-03

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

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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