Deze pagina is automatisch vertaald en de nauwkeurigheid van de vertaling kan niet worden gegarandeerd. Raadpleeg de Engelse versie voor een brontekst.

Epidural Catheter Placement Techniques by Anesthesia Residents: Success and Complications (EPİ-TECH)

1 mei 2026 bijgewerkt door: dilara gocmen, Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital

Anesthesia Residents' Epidural Catheter Placement Techniques: A Prospective Observational Study on Success Rates and Complications

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the impact of epidural catheter placement techniques - loss of resistance (LOR) and hanging drop (HD) - on first-attempt success rates and procedural complications among anesthesia residents. Residents with at least two years of training will perform epidural catheterization under supervision for patients scheduled for elective surgery requiring perioperative epidural analgesia. An independent observer will record procedural details, complications, and postoperative pain scores. The study will enroll 440 patients aged 18-80 with ASA I-III classification.

Studie Overzicht

Toestand

Nog niet aan het werven

Conditie

Interventie / Behandeling

Gedetailleerde beschrijving

Epidural catheterization is a cornerstone technique in perioperative and obstetric pain management. Two established methods are commonly used to identify the epidural space: the loss of resistance (LOR) technique, using air or normal saline, and the hanging drop (HD) technique. Although both are widely employed, comparative data on their performance by residents in training are limited. This study prospectively observes which technique the resident chooses, records procedural parameters (depth of epidural space, number of attempts, level of insertion), and documents immediate complications (dural puncture, intravascular placement, paresthesia, hypotension) and postoperative outcomes (NRS scores at 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours; PDPH). Cases in which a resident is unable to complete the procedure are documented separately, including the reason for failure and subsequent management by a supervising specialist. All procedures are performed using an 18G Tuohy needle and standard catheter set. A test dose is administered to all patients following catheter placement. Data are recorded by an independent observer using a standardized data collection form.

Studietype

Observationeel

Inschrijving (Geschat)

440

Contacten en locaties

In dit gedeelte vindt u de contactgegevens van degenen die het onderzoek uitvoeren en informatie over waar dit onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd.

Studiecontact

Studie Locaties

  • Turkije (Türkiye)
    • Maltepe
      • Istanbul, Maltepe, Turkije (Türkiye), 34852
        • Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital
        • Contact:

Deelname Criteria

Onderzoekers zoeken naar mensen die aan een bepaalde beschrijving voldoen, de zogenaamde geschiktheidscriteria. Enkele voorbeelden van deze criteria zijn iemands algemene gezondheidstoestand of eerdere behandelingen.

Geschiktheidscriteria

Leeftijden die in aanmerking komen voor studie

  • Volwassen
  • Oudere volwassene

Accepteert gezonde vrijwilligers

Nee

Bemonsteringsmethode

Kanssteekproef

Studie Bevolking

Adult patients scheduled for elective/emergency surgery with planned perioperative epidural analgesia or anesthesia at Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation.

Beschrijving

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-80 years
  • ASA physical status I, II, or III
  • Scheduled for elective surgery requiring perioperative epidural analgesia or anesthesia (lumbar or thoracic approach)
  • Epidural catheter to be placed by a resident with ≥ 2 years of anesthesia training

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Spinal deformity (scoliosis, kyphosis, or prior spinal surgery at the target level)
  • Coagulopathy or anticoagulant therapy precluding neuraxial blockade
  • Active infection at the insertion site or systemic infection
  • Pre-existing neurological disease affecting the spinal cord or nerve roots
  • Emergency surgery
  • History of prior failed epidural catheterization
  • Patient refusal or inability to provide written informed consent
  • Local anatomical pathology precluding safe epidural access

Studie plan

Dit gedeelte bevat details van het studieplan, inclusief hoe de studie is opgezet en wat de studie meet.

Hoe is de studie opgezet?

Ontwerpdetails

Cohorten en interventies

Groep / Cohort
Interventie / Behandeling
Loss of Resistance (LOR) Group
Patients in whom the epidural space is identified using the loss of resistance technique. The attending resident uses a syringe filled with air or normal saline attached to the Tuohy needle hub and advances until resistance disappears upon entering the epidural space.
Procedure: epidural catheter placement
Epidural catheterization performed using an 18G Tuohy needle and standard catheter set by anesthesia residents with a minimum of two years of training, under specialist supervision. Technique selection (LOR or HD) is at the discretion of the performing resident and is not randomized.
Andere namen:
  • neuroaxial blockade
Hanging Drop (HD) Group
Patients in whom the epidural space is identified using the hanging drop technique. A drop of normal saline is placed at the Tuohy needle hub and observed to be aspirated inward by the negative epidural pressure as the needle tip traverses the ligamentum flavum.
Procedure: epidural catheter placement
Epidural catheterization performed using an 18G Tuohy needle and standard catheter set by anesthesia residents with a minimum of two years of training, under specialist supervision. Technique selection (LOR or HD) is at the discretion of the performing resident and is not randomized.
Andere namen:
  • neuroaxial blockade

Wat meet het onderzoek?

Primaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
First-attempt success rate
Tijdsspanne: Time Frame: Immediately upon procedure completion
Defined as successful epidural space identification and catheter placement in a single Tuohy needle insertion attempt, without redirecting the needle.
Time Frame: Immediately upon procedure completion

Secundaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
Dural puncture rate
Tijdsspanne: Intraoperative
Inadvertent dural puncture defined as free flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the Tuohy needle or epidural catheter, confirmed by visual inspection. Recorded as yes/no by the independent observer at the time of the procedure
Intraoperative
Catheter Advancement Failure Rate
Tijdsspanne: intraoperative
Inability to thread the epidural catheter beyond 3 cm into the epidural space despite confirmed needle placement, necessitating needle repositioning or procedure abandonment. Recorded as yes/no by the independent observer.
intraoperative
Operator-Assessed Difficulty Score
Tijdsspanne: Immediately after procedure completion
The performing resident rates the overall technical difficulty of the procedure immediately upon completion using a 5-point Likert scale: 1 = very easy, 2 = easy, 3 = moderate, 4 = difficult, 5 = very difficult. Recorded on the standardized data collection form
Immediately after procedure completion
Intravascular catheter placement rate
Tijdsspanne: intraoperative
Unintentional intravascular placement defined as aspiration of blood through the epidural catheter prior to test dose administration. Recorded as yes/no by the independent observer immediately following catheter advancement
intraoperative
Postoperative Pain Scores
Tijdsspanne: 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively
Pain intensity assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain. Recorded at four time points: immediately upon arrival to the recovery unit (0 hours), and at 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively by the independent observer.
0, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively
Rate and Type of Assistance Required During Catheter Placement
Tijdsspanne: Intraoperative
The level of assistance received by the performing resident is recorded in three categories: (1) No assistance - procedure completed independently; (2) Verbal guidance only - supervising specialist provides verbal instructions without physical intervention; (3) Physical assistance - supervising specialist takes over needle or catheter manipulation partially or completely. Recorded by the independent observer at the time of the procedure.
Intraoperative
First-Attempt Success Rate Stratified by Resident Seniority Level
Tijdsspanne: Intraoperative
First-attempt success rates are compared across three seniority strata defined by duration of anesthesia training: junior residents (2-3 years), intermediate residents (3-4 years), and senior residents (4 years and above). Seniority is determined by the total duration of anesthesia specialty training at the time of the procedure.
Intraoperative

Medewerkers en onderzoekers

Hier vindt u mensen en organisaties die betrokken zijn bij dit onderzoek.

Sponsor

Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital

Publicaties en nuttige links

De persoon die verantwoordelijk is voor het invoeren van informatie over het onderzoek stelt deze publicaties vrijwillig ter beschikking. Dit kan gaan over alles wat met het onderzoek te maken heeft.

Algemene publicaties

  • 1. Hoffmann VL, Vercauteren MP, Vreugde JP, Hans GH, Coppejans HC, Adriaensen HA. Posterior epidural space depth: safety of the loss of resistance and hanging drop techniques. British Journal of Anaesthesia. 1999;83(5):807-811. 2. Günaydın B, Tan A, Doğru O, Mutlu M, Öztürk G, Güler HG. Comparison of spring-loaded, loss of resistance and hanging drop techniques in lumbar epidural blocks. Agri. 2012;24(1):13-18. 3. Azizov S, Okcu M, Goksu H. Could the Hanging Drop Technique Be an Alternative Method to Loss of Resistance in Cervical Epidural Injections? Pain Physician. 2025;28:217-221. 4. Tran DQH, González AP, Bernucci F, Finlayson RJ. Confirmation of Loss-of-Resistance for Epidural Analgesia. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. 2015;40(2):166-173. 5. Yoshida K, Tanaka S, Watanabe K. Hanging-Drop Technique Is More Suitable for Epidural Space Confirmation in Patients With Subcutaneous Emphysema After Traumatic Multiple Rib Fractures. Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. 2023;37(12). 6. Konrad C, Schüpfer G, Wietlisbach M, Gerber H. Learning manual skills in anesthesiology: Is there a recommended number of cases for anesthetic procedures? Anesthesia & Analgesia. 1998;86(3):635-639. 7. De Oliveira GS, Glassenberg R, Chang R, Fitzgerald P, McCarthy R. Virtual airway simulation to improve dexterity among novices performing fibreoptic intubation. Anaesthesia. 2013;68(10):1053-1058. 8. Kopacz DJ, Neal JM, Pollock JE. The regional anesthesia learning curve. Regional Anesthesia. 1996;21(3):182-190. 9. Naik VN, Devito I, Halpern SH. Cusum analysis is a useful tool to assess resident proficiency at epidural anesthesia. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia. 2004;51(7):703-708.

Studie record data

Deze datums volgen de voortgang van het onderzoeksdossier en de samenvatting van de ingediende resultaten bij ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieverslagen en gerapporteerde resultaten worden beoordeeld door de National Library of Medicine (NLM) om er zeker van te zijn dat ze voldoen aan specifieke kwaliteitscontrolenormen voordat ze op de openbare website worden geplaatst.

Bestudeer belangrijke data

Studie start (Geschat)

1 mei 2026

Primaire voltooiing (Geschat)

1 mei 2027

Studie voltooiing (Geschat)

1 juni 2027

Studieregistratiedata

Eerst ingediend

1 mei 2026

Eerst ingediend dat voldeed aan de QC-criteria

1 mei 2026

Eerst geplaatst (Werkelijk)

7 mei 2026

Updates van studierecords

Laatste update geplaatst (Werkelijk)

7 mei 2026

Laatste update ingediend die voldeed aan QC-criteria

1 mei 2026

Laatst geverifieerd

1 mei 2026

Meer informatie

Termen gerelateerd aan deze studie

Trefwoorden

Aanvullende relevante MeSH-voorwaarden

Andere studie-ID-nummers

  • mü anesthesia

Plan Individuele Deelnemersgegevens (IPD)

Bent u van plan om gegevens van individuele deelnemers (IPD) te delen?

NEE

Informatie over medicijnen en apparaten, studiedocumenten

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd geneesmiddel

Nee

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd apparaatproduct

Nee

Deze informatie is zonder wijzigingen rechtstreeks van de website clinicaltrials.gov gehaald. Als u verzoeken heeft om uw onderzoeksgegevens te wijzigen, te verwijderen of bij te werken, neem dan contact op met register@clinicaltrials.gov. Zodra er een wijziging wordt doorgevoerd op clinicaltrials.gov, wordt deze ook automatisch bijgewerkt op onze website .

Abonneren