The Use of Electrical Stimulation for Determination of Epidural Catheter Placement

NCT ID: NCT06055686

Last Updated: 2025-05-01

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

50 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-11-30

Study Completion Date

2026-11-30

Brief Summary

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The aim of this study is to address the problem of epidural failure. The investigators theorize epidural failure can be due to inappropriate catheter movement and this may be related to the length of which the epidural catheter is inserted. The investigators will use electrical stimulation to determine if the catheter moved in the sacral direction with insertion.

Detailed Description

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The research participants will be pregnant women in Labor and Delivery ward of Stanford University hospital who request an epidural for labor analgesia.

In this study the patients will receive an epidural catheter in the same way as standard of care. The catheter will be inserted to 20cm and then electrically stimulated to document where it is placed by looking at the muscles effected. The catheter is then pulled back in 5cm increments and stimulated until the standard distance is achieved. For example, if loss of resistance happened at 5cm, the catheter would be inserted to 20cm, stimulated, pulled back to 15cm and stimulated, and finally to 10cm and stimulated.

Electrical stimulation of epidural catheters for confirmation of placement is a published and accepted technique. In this study, the investigators will perform electrical stimulation at incremental points during catheter pull back with documentation of where stimulation was seen.

Conditions

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Obstetric Pain Anesthesia, Local

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Electrical Epidural Stimulation Test

Laboring women who request epidural analgesia will be given an electric stimulation at incremental points during catheter pull back with documentation of where stimulation was seen.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Electrical Epidural Stimulation Test

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Electrical stimulation test measures sensory/motor responses

Interventions

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Electrical Epidural Stimulation Test

Electrical stimulation test measures sensory/motor responses

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Pregnant female requesting epidural for labor analgesia.
* Platelet count over 70,000, INR under 1.3.

Exclusion Criteria

* Unable to safely place epidural catheter due to commonly accepted patient factors.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

40 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Stanford University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Chi-Ho Ban Tsui

Professor-Med Ctr Line

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Steven Abboud, MD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Clinical Instructor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

Locations

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Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital

Stanford, California, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Ksenia Kasimova, MD

Role: CONTACT

6507889458

References

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Kim YS, Kim HS, Jeong H, Lee CH, Lee MK, Choi SS. Efficacy of electrical stimulation on epidural anesthesia for cesarean section: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Anesthesiol. 2020 Jun 10;20(1):146. doi: 10.1186/s12871-020-01063-1.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32522156 (View on PubMed)

Charghi R, Chan SY, Kardash KJ, Finlayson RJ, Tran DQ. Electrical stimulation of the epidural space using a catheter with a removable stylet. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2007 Mar-Apr;32(2):152-6. doi: 10.1016/j.rapm.2006.10.006.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17350527 (View on PubMed)

Kwofie MK, Launcelott G, Tsui BCH. Determination of thoracic epidural catheter placement: electrical epidural stimulation (Tsui test) is simple, effective, and under-utilized. Can J Anaesth. 2019 Apr;66(4):360-364. doi: 10.1007/s12630-019-01302-1. Epub 2019 Jan 23. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30675686 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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71662

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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