MedPath

Incidence of Difficult Airway and Difficult Neuraxial Placement in Obstetric Patients

Conditions
Indication for Care or Intervention Related to Labor or Delivery With Baby Delivered
Registration Number
NCT02193542
Lead Sponsor
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brief Summary

Anesthesiologists commonly administer pain relief during labor or providing anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Two main methods are used to achieve these goal: "Regional anesthesia" where the mother is given medication through a needle or catheter in her back and the mother is kept awake, or "General anesthesia", where the mother is given intravenous medication and is kept asleep.

Regional anesthesia uses a needle to enter a narrow space in the mother's back where medications can be given. In some patients, it takes longer to find this target space in the back. In emergency situation, however, there is often little time to find this space, and the backup method would be the general anesthesia technique.

If general anesthesia is required, a breathing tube needs to be inserted to help support the mother's breathing. In some patients, it is harder to insert the breathing tubes, so knowing this in advanced helps anesthesiologists create a safe plan for the patients. A lot of research has been done to determine factors that would predict which patients would need more time and preparation for general anesthesia and regional anesthesia.

The purpose of this study is to study how common it is for the pregnant patients who have a difficult regional and general anesthesia.

Detailed Description

Anesthesiologists commonly administer pain relief during labor or providing anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Two main methods are used to achieve these goal: "Regional anesthesia" where the mother is given medication through a needle or catheter in her back and the mother is kept awake, or "General anesthesia", where the mother is given intravenous medication and is kept asleep.

Regional anesthesia uses a needle to enter a narrow space in the mother's back where medications can be given. In some patients, it takes longer to find this target space in the back. In emergency situation, however, there is often little time to find this space, and the backup method would be the general anesthesia technique.

If general anesthesia is required, a breathing tube needs to be inserted to help support the mother's breathing. In some patients, it is harder to insert the breathing tubes, so knowing this in advanced helps anesthesiologists create a safe plan for the patients. A lot of research has been done to determine factors that would predict which patients would need more time and preparation for general anesthesia and regional anesthesia.

The purpose of this study is to study how common it is for the pregnant patients who have a difficult regional and general anesthesia.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
400
Inclusion Criteria
  • Pregnant woman presenting for vaginal or cesarean delivery
Exclusion Criteria
  • Pregnant woman presenting for vaginal or cesarean delivery requiring urgent or emergent delivery

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
incidence of difficult regional and general anesthesiawithin 30 days
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Brigham and Women's Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath