Machine Learning Prediction of Spinal Anaesthesia Block Duration

September 13, 2026 updated by: SalahEldin Ahmed Abdelaziz Ahmed, Specialized Medical Center (SMC)

Artificial Intelligence-Based Prediction of Sensory and Motor Block Duration Following Spinal Anaesthesia: A Prospective Observational Prediction Model Development Study

The duration of sensory and motor block after spinal anaesthesia varies widely between patients given the same dose of local anaesthetic. Much of this variability is explained by differences in lumbosacral cerebrospinal fluid volume, which cannot be measured routinely in clinical practice but is related to simple body measurements such as abdominal circumference and vertebral column length. This prospective observational study will develop and internally validate prediction models for the duration of sensory and motor block following spinal anaesthesia in adults undergoing elective surgery. Preoperative clinical and anthropometric variables will be recorded, and block regression will be assessed serially after intrathecal injection. Machine learning methods (lasso regression, ridge regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and support vector regression) will be developed and compared against multivariable linear regression as the reference model. The aim is a practical tool that helps anaesthetists anticipate how long a spinal block will last in an individual patient, supporting decisions about case scheduling, supplementation, and discharge planning.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

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.

Detailed Description

Background. Spinal anaesthesia produces block of unpredictable duration. Cerebrospinal fluid volume in the lumbosacral region is the dominant determinant of block spread and regression, and correlates inversely with abdominal circumference and directly with vertebral column length. Existing single-variable rules perform poorly, and no validated multivariable model is in routine clinical use. Objectives. The primary objective is to develop and internally validate models predicting the duration of sensory block and the duration of motor block after single-shot spinal anaesthesia. The secondary objective is to compare the predictive performance of machine learning approaches with conventional multivariable linear regression. Design. Single-centre prospective observational cohort study. No study-directed intervention is applied; anaesthetic technique, drug, and dose are determined by the attending anaesthetist according to routine practice and are recorded as candidate predictors. Assessments. Sensory block level is assessed bilaterally by pinprick with a 25-gauge needle along the mid-clavicular line, over dermatomes T4 to S1. Motor block is assessed using the modified Bromage scale (0-3). Assessments are performed at fixed intervals from intrathecal injection until complete regression of sensory and motor block. Candidate predictors. Age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, vertebral column length, ASA physical status, local anaesthetic dose and baricity, and adjuvant use. Sample size. A target of 255 participants was derived using the Riley criteria for continuous-outcome prediction models (pmsampsize), assuming 9 candidate predictors, an outcome standard deviation of 40 minutes, anticipated R-squared of 0.35, shrinkage of at least 0.90, and a multiplicative margin of error of 1.10. The four criteria yielded 183, 183, 234, and 246; the largest requirement of 246 was inflated by approximately 4 per cent for attrition. Analysis. Model development will use nested repeated 10-fold cross-validation with bootstrap optimism correction. Performance will be reported as R-squared, root mean squared error, and mean absolute error, with calibration plots. SHAP values will be used to describe predictor contributions. Reporting will follow TRIPOD+AI.

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.
Observational

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.
255

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.

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

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Consecutive adults scheduled for elective surgery under single-shot spinal anaesthesia at Specialized Medical Center, King Fahad campus, Riyadh.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults scheduled for elective surgery under single-shot spinal anaesthesia
  • ASA physical status I to III
  • Written informed consent obtained

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindication to neuraxial anaesthesia (coagulopathy, local or systemic infection, raised intracranial pressure, patient refusal)
  • Failed or incomplete block requiring conversion to general anaesthesia
  • Repeated or top-up intrathecal injection
  • Pregnancy
  • Known spinal deformity or previous spine surgery
  • Pre-existing neurological or neuromuscular disease affecting sensory or motor assessment
  • Inability to cooperate with sensory and motor assessment

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

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 sensory block
Time Frame: Up to 8 hours after intrathecal injection
Time from completion of intrathecal injection to regression of sensory block to the S1 dermatome, assessed bilaterally by pinprick with a 25-gauge needle along the mid-clavicular line
Up to 8 hours after intrathecal injection
Duration of motor block
Time Frame: Up to 8 hours after intrathecal injection
Time from completion of intrathecal injection to return to modified Bromage score 0 (full ability to flex knee and ankle)
Up to 8 hours after intrathecal injection

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
Predictive performance of machine learning models
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 20 months
R-squared, root mean squared error, mean absolute error, and calibration slope for lasso regression, ridge regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and support vector regression, each compared with multivariable linear regression as the reference model
Through study completion, an average of 20 months
Time to peak sensory block level
Time Frame: Up to 30 minutes after intrathecal injection
Time from intrathecal injection to the highest dermatomal level of sensory block, assessed by pinprick
Up to 30 minutes after intrathecal injection

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.
Specialized Medical Center (SMC)

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: Salaheldin A abdelaziz Ahmed, Specialized Medical Center

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 (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2026

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 1, 2028

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.
September 1, 2028

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 7, 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.
September 7, 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.
September 11, 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.
September 15, 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.
September 13, 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.
September 1, 2026

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.
  • IRBSMC1-2026-0001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying published results, together with the data dictionary and model code, will be made available to researchers whose proposed use has been approved by an independent review committee. Requests should be directed to the principal investigator. Data will be available from 6 months to 36 months after publication of the primary results.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will become available 6 months after publication of the primary results and will remain available for 36 months

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Requests should be directed to the principal investigator. Proposals will be reviewed by the principal investigator and the Specialized Medical Center Institutional Review Board. Requesters must provide a methodologically sound proposal and sign a data access agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

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.

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