Nitrous Oxyde During Labour

May 20, 2025 updated by: Erasme University Hospital

Feelings of Patients Who Received Nitrous Oxide During Childbirth

  1. Background to the clinical research project Nitrous oxide is a valuable tool in medicine for its rapid and effective analgesic and sedative properties. It is used in 50% gaseous form for painful procedures. One frequent application is obstetric analgesia. However, in addition to its analgesic effects, many articles mention the psychotropic, even psychedelic, effects of nitrous oxide use. In one of the most recent studies, entitled More than just joy: A qualitative analysis of participant experiences during nitrous oxide sedation, involving healthy volunteers, it is reported that the sensations and feelings of the subjects are not necessarily pleasant, and many volunteers report psychedelic-like sensations, dreams or disturbed perceptions. The authors then question whether these effects are due to an absence of painful stimuli and therefore an absence of a beneficial effect. The same effects have been reported by Atkinson et al, also on volunteer subjects. Parturients feelings are highly variable, with a stronger focus on analgesic efficacy.

  2. Objectives of the clinical research project 2.1 Primary objective: The main objective will be to evaluate the effects of nitrous oxide, other than analgesia, in the specific context of childbirth. The study will focus mainly on subjective feelings, as well as the effects of disconnection from reality.

    2.2 Secondary objectives: As secondary objectives, we will study the efficacy on pain.

  3. Methodology of the clinical research project All patients who have received nitrous oxide for delivery as part of the standard course of treatment in the delivery room will be contacted within 24 hours by one of the investigators. The protocol, i.e. the questionnaire, will be explained to the patients and, if they accept the protocol, written consent will be obtained. Patients will then complete the questionnaire in the presence of one of the investigators, who will be able to explain the questions if necessary. The questionnaire will take around 20 minutes to complete.
  4. Design of the clinical research project Prospective study based on a questionnaire.
  5. Participants Any person who received nitrous oxide for childbirth at Hôpital Érasme between October 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025 and who signed the informed consent form for this study.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

70

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

  • Belgium
      • Brussels, Belgium, 1070
        • H.U.B - Hôpital Erasme

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Any woman who received nitrous oxide for childbirth at Hôpital Érasme between October 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025 and who signed the consent form for this study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Any person who received nitrous oxide for childbirth at Hôpital Érasme between October 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025 and who signed the informed consent form for this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No informed consent

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
N2O for labour analgesia
Any woman who received nitrous oxide for childbirth at Hôpital Érasme between October 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025 and who signed the informed consent form for this study.
Drug: Nitrous oxide for labour analgesia
Any woman may choose to have nitrous oxide inhalation as a standard protocol for labour analgesia

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Unpleasant psychotropic effects
Time Frame: 12 hours
Percentage (%) of patients who report an unpleasant psychotropic effect during nitrous oxide administration for labour analgesia.
12 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Analgesic effect
Time Frame: 12 hours
All patients will report the analgesic efficiency of nitrous oxide during labour analgesia using a 3 point scale (very effective - somewhat effective - no effect). Percentage (%) of each effect will be presented.
12 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Erasme University Hospital

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)

November 5, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

May 20, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 10, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 10, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

September 19, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 21, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 20, 2025

Last Verified

May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SRB2024218

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

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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