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Norepinephrine To Prevent Hypotension After Spinal Anesthesia For Cesarean Delivery: A Dose Finding Study

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Hypotension
Interventions
Drug: Normal Saline
Registration Number
NCT02654847
Lead Sponsor
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
Brief Summary

Spinal anesthesia is the most common anesthetic technique for elective Cesarean delivery (CD), but the most frequent unwanted side effect is hypotension, which can cause nausea and vomiting, as well as effects on the fetus. Prevention and treatment of maternal hypotension includes intravenous fluids and vasopressors. Phenylephrine is the most common vasopressor used for this purpose. However, it has been shown to reduce maternal heart rate and cardiac output, which may be a concern in an already compromised fetus. Norepinephrine is commonly used in high concentrations in intensive care and recent studies have suggested that in low concentrations it may be a better alternative to phenylephrine in elective CD, as it does not reduce the maternal heart rate or cardiac output. The optimum bolus dose of norepinephrine to prevent hypotension after spinal anesthesia in elective CD has not been elucidated. The investigators propose this study to determine the dose that would be effective in 90% of patients (ED90).

A previous study by Ngan Kee et al, using continuous infusion of norepinephrine to prevent hypotension in elective CD, suggested a potency ratio for norepinephrine to phenylephrine of approximately 16:1. Hence, the investigators hypothesise that the ED90 will be approximately 6 µg, given that the current phenylephrine bolus dose at the investigators' institution is approximately 100 µg.

Detailed Description

The use of norepinephrine to prevent and treat hypotension during cesarean delivery (CD) is new and data in the literature are scarce. A recent randomised controlled trial by Ngan Kee et al compared continuous infusions of norepinephrine and phenylephrine to prevent hypotension during CD. They showed that norepinephrine was effective at maintaining blood pressure, with a greater cardiac output and heart rate compared to phenylephrine. However, the effective bolus dose of norepinephrine needed to prevent maternal hypotension was not determined, and since this is a relatively new arena, no dose-response studies are available in the literature either. Therefore, it would be logical to establish the effective bolus dose of norepinephrine TO PREVENT HYPOTENSION during elective CD.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
40
Inclusion Criteria
  • Elective CD under spinal anesthesia
  • Normal singleton pregnancy beyond 36 weeks gestation
  • ASA physical status II/III
  • Weight 50-100 kg, height 150-180 cm
  • Age over 18 years
  • Informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
  • Patient refusal
  • Allergy or hypersensitivity to norepinephrine or sulfite
  • Preexisting or pregnancy-induced hypertension
  • Cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease
  • Fetal abnormalities
  • History of diabetes, excluding gestational diabetes
  • Use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors, triptyline or imipramine antidepressants

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Norepinephrine 4 micrograms/mLNormal Saline1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 4 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 7 micrograms/mLNormal Saline1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 7 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 3 micrograms/mLNormal Saline1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 3 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 4 micrograms/mLNorepinephrine1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 4 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 5 micrograms/mLNormal Saline1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 5 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 7 micrograms/mLNorepinephrine1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 7 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 6 micrograms/mLNormal Saline1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 6 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 8 micrograms/mLNorepinephrine1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 8 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 8 micrograms/mLNormal Saline1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 8 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 3 micrograms/mLNorepinephrine1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 3 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 5 micrograms/mLNorepinephrine1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 5 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Norepinephrine 6 micrograms/mLNorepinephrine1mL of a solution of norepinephrine, containing 6 micrograms/mL in normal saline, will be given intravenously to a patient if her blood pressure decreases from baseline.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Systolic blood pressure30 minutes

The primary outcome of this study will be the success/response of the norepinephrine dose to maintain the systolic blood pressure at or above 80% of baseline, from induction of spinal anesthesia to delivery of the fetus.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Umbilical artery bicarbonate24 hours

Umbilical artery bicarbonate

Umbilical vein base excess24 hours

Umbilical vein base excess

Hypertension: Systolic blood pressure at or above 120% of baseline30 minutes

Systolic blood pressure at or above 120% of baseline, from induction of spinal anesthesia to delivery of the fetus.

Bradycardia: Heart rate less than 50 bpm30 minutes

Heart rate less than 50 bpm, from induction of spinal anesthesia

Presence of Vomiting30 minutes

Presence of vomiting in patients from induction of spinal anesthesia to delivery of the fetus.

Umbilical artery pH24 hours

Umbilical artery pH

Umbilical vein partial pressure of carbon dioxide24 hours

Umbilical vein partial pressure of carbon dioxide

Umbilical vein bicarbonate24 hours

Umbilical vein bicarbonate

Presence of Nausea30 minutes

Presence of nausea in patients from induction of spinal anesthesia to delivery of the fetus.

Upper sensory level of anesthetic block, assessed by pinprick upon delivery30 minutes

Upper sensory level of anesthesia, assessed by pinprick upon delivery

Umbilical artery partial pressure of carbon dioxide24 hours

Umbilical artery partial pressure of carbon dioxide

Umbilical artery partial pressure of oxygen24 hours

Umbilical artery partial pressure of oxygen

Umbilical artery base excess24 hours

Umbilical artery base excess

Umbilical vein pH24 hours

Umbilical vein pH

Umbilical vein partial pressure of oxygen24 hours

Umbilical vein partial pressure of oxygen

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Mount Sinai Hospital

🇨🇦

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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