NCT00380978

Neuraxial Versus Systemic Analgesia for Latent Phase Labor Effect on Rate of Operative Delivery

Early Compared With Late Neuraxial Analgesia in Nulliparous Labor Induction

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,026 (actual)
• Sponsor: Northwestern University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study in nulliparous women undergoing induction of labor is to determine whether initiation of neuraxial analgesia compared to systemic opioid analgesia early in labor (\< 4 cm cervical dilation)affects the cesarean delivery rate.

Detailed description

Women in early labor frequently request pain medication. Obstetricians may prescribe narcotics (administered as an intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) injection). However, IV or IM narcotics provide incomplete pain relief and have maternal and fetal/neonatal side effects, e.g., maternal drowsiness, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, and neonatal respiratory depression. Other obstetricians allow their patients to request early neuraxial (spinal or epidural) analgesia. The results of several studies comparing patients who received epidural versus IV/IM narcotic labor analgesia (not specifically in early labor)suggest that initiation of early neuraxial analgesia may be associated with higher Cesarean delivery rates. It has been hypothesized that epidural/spinal local anesthetics may induce pelvic musculature relaxation leading to failure of fetal descent and rotation. However, early pain may be a marker for other factors that increase the risk of Cesarean delivery, e.g., large or malpositioned baby, or dysfunctional labor. Whether or not early neuraxial analgesia (particularly if narcotic based, which would not cause pelvic muscle paralysis) compared to IV/IM narcotics, adversely affects the outcome of labor has not been studied in a randomized, prospective fashion. The purpose of this study is to compare Cesarean and forcep delivery rates, and quality of pain relief, in first-time mothers undergoing induction of labor who receive neuraxial versus IV/IM analgesia for early labor (cervical dilation \< 4 cm).

Conditions

• Labor Pain
• Pregnancy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	combined spinal epidural analgesia	Analgesia was initiated in the early group using a standard needle-through-needle technique with intrathecal fentanyl 25 mcg and an epidural test dose of lidocaine 15 mg/ml and epinephrine 5 mcg/ml in 3ml. At the second analgesia request, the cervix was examined. Epidural analgesia was initiated with a dilute bupivicaine/fentanyl solution if the cervix was less than 4 cm. If the cervix was 4 cm or more, epidural analgesia was initiated with bupivicaine 1.25 mg/ml. If no cervical exam was performed at the second request for analgesia, the cervix was assumed to be at least 4 cm dilated. Thereafter, analgesia was maintained in all participants in the early group with patient-controlled epidural analgesia.
PROCEDURE	late analgesia (systemic)	Analgesia was initiated in the late group with hydromorphone 1mg intramuscularly (IM) and 1 mg intravenously (IV). If the cervix was less than 4 cm at the second analgesia request, hydromorphone analgesia was repeated. Epidural analgesia was initiated with bupivicaine 1.25 mg/ml if the cervix was 4 cm or more. At the third analgesia request, epidural analgesia was initiated regardless of cervical dilation. Thereafter, epidural analgesia was maintained with patient controlled analgesia until delivery.

Timeline

• Start date: 2001-10-01
• Primary completion: 2008-09-01
• Completion: 2008-09-01
• First posted: 2006-09-27
• Last updated: 2014-04-14
• Results posted: 2011-12-08

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States