Dexamethasone to Prevent Side Effects of Spinal Anesthesia in Cesarean Delivery

May 22, 2026 updated by: University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City (UMC)

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Intravenous Dexamethasone in Preventing Adverse Effects of Spinal Anesthesia in Parturients Undergoing Cesarean Delivery

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous dexamethasone in preventing adverse effects of spinal anesthesia and prolonging postoperative analgesia in parturients undergoing elective cesarean delivery.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does intravenous dexamethasone reduce the incidence of post-spinal hypotension?

Does intravenous dexamethasone reduce the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)?

Does intravenous dexamethasone prolong the duration of postoperative analgesia?

Researchers will compare intravenous dexamethasone (8 mg) to a placebo (0.9% saline) to see if dexamethasone effectively prevents post-spinal hypotension and PONV, and improves postoperative pain relief.

Participants will:

Receive an intravenous injection of either 8 mg dexamethasone or a placebo (2 mL 0.9% saline) prior to receiving spinal anesthesia.

Have their blood pressure recorded frequently (every minute for the first 20 minutes, then every 5 minutes until the completion of surgery).

Undergo sensory block assessment (via cold testing) and motor block evaluation (using the Bromage scale).

Have maternal glycemia and neonatal safety monitored for potential steroid-related adverse effects.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
176

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

  • Vietnam
    • Ho Chi Minh
      • Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 700000
        • University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City (UMC) - Campus 2

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Singleton pregnancy
  • Gestational age ≥ 37 weeks
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification of II-III
  • Planned for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Gestational diabetes mellitus or pre-existing (chronic) diabetes mellitus
  • Gestational hypertension or chronic hypertension
  • Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m²
  • Known allergy to dexamethasone
  • Current long-term corticosteroid therapy
  • Diagnosis of postpartum hemorrhage

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Other: Placebo
Intravenous administration of 2 mL of 0.9% normal saline as a placebo immediately before the induction of spinal anesthesia.
Experimental: Dexamethasone
Drug: Dexamethasone
Intravenous administration of 8 mg dexamethasone immediately before the induction of spinal anesthesia.

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
Incidence of Post-Spinal Hypotension
Time Frame: From the induction of spinal anesthesia until the completion of surgery
The number of participants experiencing at least one episode of post-spinal hypotension. Hypotension is defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20% or more from the baseline value. Baseline blood pressure is defined as the mean value of three consecutive measurements taken 2 minutes apart, with a variation of less than 10%. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate are recorded every minute for the first 20 minutes after spinal anesthesia, and then every 5 minutes until the completion of surgery and transfer to the post-anesthesia care unit
From the induction of spinal anesthesia until the completion of surgery

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
Incidence of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV)
Time Frame: From the induction of spinal anesthesia until discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) (estimated up to 6 hours)
The number of participants experiencing nausea, vomiting, or retching, or requiring rescue antiemetic treatment. Rescue treatment is administered as intravenous ondansetron 4 mg or intravenous metoclopramide 10 mg.
From the induction of spinal anesthesia until discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) (estimated up to 6 hours)
Duration of Postoperative Analgesia
Time Frame: From the administration of spinal anesthesia until the first request for rescue analgesia (estimated up to 24 hours)
The time elapsed from the administration of spinal anesthesia to the patient's first request for systemic rescue analgesic medication. Rescue analgesia is administered when the patient complains of pain and records a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score greater than 4 (on a scale of 0 to 10).
From the administration of spinal anesthesia until the first request for rescue analgesia (estimated up to 24 hours)

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.
University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City (UMC)

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.
August 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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 31, 2027

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).
May 22, 2026

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.
May 22, 2026

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.
May 29, 2026

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.
May 29, 2026

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.
May 22, 2026

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.
November 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.
  • 4667/UMP-BOARD

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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.

Clinical Trials on Pain, Postoperative

Clinical Trials on Dexamethasone

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings