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Do Epidurals Placed at a Lower Level Improve Labor Analgesia?

Not Applicable
Conditions
Labor Analgesia
Interventions
Procedure: epidural placed low
Procedure: high epidural
Registration Number
NCT00954317
Lead Sponsor
Royal Victoria Hospital, Canada
Brief Summary

The investigators wish to compare the analgesia provided by epidurals placed high in the lumbar spine versus epidurals place low in the lumbar spine.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
100
Inclusion Criteria
  • women in active labor
Exclusion Criteria
  • known contraindications to epidural analgesia
  • moderate to severe systemic illness as evidenced by an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 3 or higher.
  • known abnormalities of the spinal column
  • any neurologic illness
  • multiple gestations, fetal abnormalities or fetal presentation other than vertex
  • recent history of analgesic usage
  • an inability to communicate in English or French
  • Body Mass Index greater than 40
  • patients in pain requesting an immediate epidural

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Low epiduralepidural placed lowepidural placed in the lower lumbar vertebral column
high epiduralhigh epiduralhigh epidural
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of epidural medication boluses required30 minutes and 1 hour
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Labour progress24 hours

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Royal Victoria Hospital

🇨🇦

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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