Ultrasound Guidance for Epidural Analgesia and Anesthesia

Most women delivering by cesarean at BC Women's receive regional anesthesia; which includes spinal, epidural, or combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. In all these techniques a needle is placed in the lower back and local anesthetic is injected to freeze the body. Normally, before the needle is placed in a patients' back, the anesthesiologist will feel between their back bones with his/her fingers to find the right spot for the needle. This study will be evaluating if the distance from the skin to the appropriate spinal space measured with a novel 3D Ultrasound will equal the actual depth of the needle insertion.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Epidural Space Depth
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Ultrasound

Detailed Description

The investigators will be evaluating if the distance from the skin to the appropriate spinal space measured with a novel 3D Ultrasound will equal the actual depth of the needle insertion.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 10

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6H 3N1
      • BC Women's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

pregnant women

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• term pregnancy
• elective cesarean

Exclusion Criteria:

• scoliosis
• high bmi

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
study group; elective cesarean delivery patients	Device: Ultrasound; Parturients backs will be scanned using 3D ultrasound to measure the depth to the epidural space

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
epidural space depth	comparison of ultrasound measured epidural space to actual needle insertion	intraoperative

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 31, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 1, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): May 6, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 17, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 15, 2016
• Last Verified: November 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: H14-01152