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Quick Epidural Top-up with Alkalinized Lidocaine for Emergent Caesarean Delivery

Phase 2
Completed
Conditions
Obstetric Labor Complications
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT05313256
Lead Sponsor
University Hospital, Bordeaux
Brief Summary

Prospective randomized study comparing the use of lidocaine 2% with epinephrine buffered with sodium bicarbonate and lidocaine 2% with epinephrine as epidural top-up for extremely urgent cesarean section during labour.

Detailed Description

General anesthesia in pregnant women remains burdened by a significant maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. An increased risk of orotracheal intubation difficulty, gastric inhalation syndrome and neonatal respiratory depression is described.

The rate of epidural analgesia during labor is about 85% in France. In addition to the comfort provided, epidural analgesia allows emergency Caesarean sections to be performed by converting epidural analgesia to epidural anesthesia, a technique known as "epidural extension" or "epidural top-up". The effectiveness and the time necessary to obtain this surgical anesthesia depends on the protocols used and determines the possibility of performing fetal extractions, even the most urgent ones, without resorting to general anesthesia.

We define an extremely urgent cesarean delivery as a delivery required in the event of an immediate threat to maternal or fetal vital prognosis, with a target of less than 15 minutes between the extraction decision time and birth.

In France, the latest recommendations date from 2007 and recommend the practice of epidural extension with 15 to 20 ml of 2% adrenaline lidocaine. With this technique, surgical anesthesia is typically obtained within 10 to 15 minutes. This time remains too long in certain obstetrical emergency situations, notably extremely urgent cesarean sections, which require frequent recourse to general anesthesia to compensate for this length of nerve block installation.

The alkalinization of local anesthetics with sodium bicarbonate has been experimentally studied since the 1970s and makes it possible to accelerate the time of action of local anesthetics. Alkalinization of local anesthetics is practiced in 35% of epidural extensions in Denmark and 12% of epidural extensions in the United Kingdom.

Since 2016, this technique has been used in the anesthesia departments of maternity units of Bayonne and Bordeaux hospitals. In the former, a retrospective study of 51 cases from January 2019 to July 2019 showed a decrease of more than 80% in the rate of recourse to general anesthesia in extremely urgent caesarean sections (4/4 vs 0/7) and a 50% decrease in the time required to obtain adequate epidural anesthesia (5 min vs 10 min).

The main objective of the current prospective study is to prospectively confirm the decrease in the use of general anesthesia in extremely urgent cesarean sections.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
65
Inclusion Criteria
  • Adult patients, affiliated to social security
  • Informed consent signed by the participant and the investigating physician at the latest after the therapeutic intervention
  • Initial indication for vaginal delivery
  • Benefiting from emergency caesarean section during labour for fetal extraction with a maximum 15-minute decision-to-delivery delay (i.e. extremely urgent caesarean section)
Exclusion Criteria
  • Opposition to participation in research before delivery
  • Refusal or impossibility of informed consent
  • Lack of understanding or significant language barrier
  • Initial indication for general anaesthesia defined by the following situations: non-functional epidural analgesia, altered consciousness, eclampsia, suspicion of amniotic embolism, confirmed or suspected severe haemorrhage occurring before birth
  • Contraindication to the use of the products defined in the protocol : adrenalized lidocaine ; sodium bicarbonate.
  • Persons placed under judicial protection

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Comparator groupLidocaine epinephrineIn this arm patients will receive for epidural extension only Lidocaine epinephrine.
Experimental groupLidocaine epinephrine buffered with sodium bicarbonateIn this arm patients will receive for epidural extension a Lidocaine epinephrine buffered with sodium bicarbonate.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Resort to general anaesthesia15 minutes after inclusion

Resort to general anaesthesia for insufficient analgesia after epidural extension for extremely urgent caesarean section.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Complementary medicinesBetween inclusion and cesarean section

Use and characterization of complementary medicines necessary for maternal well-being during caesarean section.

Postpartum hemorrhageup to 24 hours after inclusion

Postpartum hemorrhage (blood loss of more than 500 ml)

Maternal satisfactionup to 4 hours after inclusion

Maternal satisfaction regarding analgesia and anesthesia during caesarean section.

Delay between fetal extraction decision and birthBetween inclusion and birth

Minutes between the decision to extract the fetus by the obstetrical team and the clamping of the umbilical cord

Delay between fetal extraction decision and incisionBetween inclusion and cesarean section

Minutes between the decision to extract the fetus by the obstetrical team and the surgical incision

Maternal complicationsup to 24 hours after inclusion

Maternal complications after epidural top-up, including nausea-vomiting in the peroperative and postoperative period, desaturation episode, difficult orotracheal intubation, bronchial inhalation syndrome, hypotensive episode before fetal extraction, extended sensory or motor block.

Paediatric wellnessat birth

Paediatric wellness criteria (umbilical cord pH less than 7.0 ; umbilical cord lactate)

Anesthesia levelone hour after surgical incision

Anesthesia level one hour after surgical incision

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

CHU de Bordeaux

🇫🇷

Bordeaux, France

CH de la Côte Basque

🇫🇷

Bayonne, France

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