Continuous Infusion of Norepinephrine vs Phenylephrine During Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section (INPEACE)

NCT ID: NCT06248593

Last Updated: 2025-09-09

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

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

140 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-01-29

Study Completion Date

2026-03-15

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to compare norepinephrine and ephedrine in maintaining blood pressure during spinal anaesthesia for elective cesarean delivery. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Do phenylephrine and norepinephrine administered as manually controlled continuous infusion during elective cesarean delivery have different effects on neonatal outcome ?
* Do phenylephrine and norepinephrine administered as manually controlled continuous infusion during elective cesarean delivery have different effects on maternal hemodynamics? Participants will receive either phenylephrine or norepinephrine infusion, at the time of performing spinal anesthesia, the infusion rate will be adjusted manually depending on maternal arterial pressure.

Detailed Description

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It's a randomized, double-blind, two-arm, parallel, non-inferiority, controlled trial that will be conducted in Hassan II University Hospital, Fes, Morocco. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that neonatal outcome, as assessed by potential of hydrogen (pH) of umbilical artery, is at least as good (non-inferior) when prophylactic continuous manually controlled infusion of norepinephrine (NE) is used to maintain blood pressure during spinal anaesthesia for elective cesarean delivery compared with the same infusion modalities of phenylephrine (PHE) with more stable blood pressure and less bradycardia.

Before starting the study, a simple randomization sequence will generate codes for two equal-sized groups. One code for each patient will be placed into a sealed, opaque, sequentially numbered envelope by a research assistant, who is not involved in patient management or data collection.

Another person not involved in subsequent patient care or assessement either, will open the envelope for each patient shortly before commencement of the study and prepared two identical 50-mL syringes according to the code contained in the envelops, patients will be randomly allocated to receive PHE or NE infusion. All the syringes were labelled as "study drug", To standardize and study the effects without affecting the potency of the drugs, vasopressor doses were taken in an equipotent ratio (12.5:1) for PHE:NE based on previous studies.

The medication used in this study are :

* NE : 4 ml vial of norepinephrine bitartrate injection, 2 mg/ml.
* PHE : 10 ml Phenylephrine hydrochloride pre-filled syringe 50 μg/ml. In group PHE, The infusion is prepared by taking 1 mg of phenylephrine (2 prefilled syringe equals to 20 ml) and diluting it with 0.9% normal saline (NS) to attain a total volume of 40 mL and a concentration of 25 μg/mL.

In group NE, Norepinephrine infusion will be prepared by taking one vial (8 mg) of norepinephrine, and diluting it with 496 ml of 0.9% normal saline (NS) to attain a concentration of NE of 16 µg/ml. 10 ml of this solution Will be diluted in 0.9% NS to reach a total volume of 40 mL and a concentration of 4 μg/mL of NE which correspond to 2 µg/ml of norepinephrine base.

Eleven milligrams of hyperbaric bupivacaine in addition to 20 μg fentanyl will be injected in the L2-L3, L3-L4 or L4-L5 intervertebral space using a 25-gauge pencil-point spinal needle in the sitting position. Block success will be assessed by sensory blockade level using pinprick test and surgery would not begin unless the sensory block reached T6 level. Patients with inadequate sensory blockade would receive general anesthesia for cesarean delivery, and will be excluded from the study.

Simultaneously with the intrathecal injection, rapid intravenous vascular volume expansion by 1000ml NS solution will be started, with a pressure infuser bag inflated.

The infusion will be initiated at a rate of 96 mL/hour (1.6 mL/minute), that correspond to a phenylephrine rate infusion of 40 μg/minute or norepinephrine rate infusion of 6.4 μg/minute. Both vasopressor infusions will be started at the same time that cerebrospinal fluid is obtained before the injection of the local anesthetic into the cerebrospinal fluid. and then manually adjusted within the range 0-144 mL/h : PHE (0-60 μg/min), NE (0-9.6 µg/min), according to values of systolic blood pressure (SBP) measured noninvasively and recorded at 1-minute intervals along the intraoperative period, with the objective of maintaining values near baseline, according to this modalities (table 1). Heart rate (HR) will be monitored continuously and recorded at 1-min interval.

SBP (% of baseline) Infusion rate (ml/min)) NE delivery rate (µg/min) PHE delivery rate (µg/min) \>120% or \>140 mmhg 0 0 0 100-120% 48 3.2 20 90-100% 96 6.4 40 80-90% 120 8 50 \<80% 144 9.6 60

Table : Algorithm of manually controlled infusion rate and its corresponding amount of study drug (norepinephrine or phenylephrine depending on randomisation)

A researcher in the theater will manage the infusions and collect the data for analysis. Episodes of hypotension, hypertension, bradycardia and tachycardia will be recorded.

Intraoperative hypertension (defined as SBP greater than 120% of the baseline or \> 140 mmhg) will be managed by stopping temporarily drug infusion. The infusion is resumed when blood pressure return to \< 120% of the SBP baseline).

Postspinal hypotension (defined as decreased SBP less than 80% of the baseline or SBP\< 90 mmhg reading during the period from intrathecal injection to delivery of the fetus) will be managed by increasing vasopressor infusion dose according to study protocol infusion above. In case of persistant postspinal hypotension despite increasing vasopressor doses, it's will be managed by 2-ml bolus of the infusion which correspond for parturients with NE infusion to 8µg and those with PHE to 50 μg. Additional vasopressor bolus will be given if SBP did not respond to the first dose within 2 min despite continuing the infusion.

In case of persistence of hypotension, A rescue bolus of at least ephedrine 6 mg is recommended, and repeated according to the severity and persistence of the hypotension.

After delivery and in the absence of hemorrhage, the vasopressor flow rate will be reduced in steps of 20 mL∙h-1, while maintaining an SBP \>80% of baseline, a minimum delay of 5 minutes between 2 flow reductions is recommended to avoid secondary hypotension.

Intraoperative bradycardia (defined as heart rate less than 60 beats per minute without hypotension will be managed by stopping the vasopressor infusion.

If bradycardia is associated with hypotension, the patient will be managed by IV ephedrine 9 mg. If bradycardia persist or decrease below 50 beats/min after the previous measures, an IV atropine bolus (0.5 mg) should be given.

Umbilical arterial blood (UA) will be sampled from a double-clamped segment of umbilical cord by using arterial blood gas syringes. Within 20 min after clamping, umbilical blood gas will be analyzed with a bedside Blood gas Analyzer System.

Conditions

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Cesarean Section Complications Hypotension

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

It's a randomized, double-blind, two-arm, parallel, non-inferiority, controlled trial, which tha aim is to test the hypothesis that neonatal outcome, as assessed by umbilical artery pH, is at least as good (non-inferior) when prophylactic continuous manually controlled infusion of norepinephrine is used to maintain blood pressure during spinal anaesthesia for elective cesarean delivery compared with the same infusion modalities of phenylephrine with more stable blood pressure and less bradycardia.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors
Before starting the study, a simple randomization sequence for at least 140 codes divided into two equal-sized groups will be generated. One code for each patient will be placed into a sealed, opaque, sequentially numbered envelope by a research assistant, who is not involved in patient management or data collection.

A Medical staff member who is not involved in subsequent patient care or assessement either, will open the envelope for each patient shortly before commencement of the cesarean delivery and prepared two identical 50-mL syringes according to the code contained in the envelops, patients will be randomly allocated to receive Phenylephrine or Norepinephrine infusion. All the syringes will be labelled as "study drug", therefore it will be impossible for the anesthesiologists involved in patient care to identify whether it contained norepinephrine or phenylephrine.

Study Groups

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Phenylephrine

The infusion will have a concentration of Phenylephrine of 25 μg/mL and will be initiated at a rate of 96 mL/hour (1.6 mL/minute), that correspond to a phenylephrine rate infusion of 40 μg/min, then the infusion rate will be manually adjusted within the range 0-144 mL/h : PHE (0-60 μg/min).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Continuous infusion of Phenylephrine

Intervention Type DRUG

The rate of phenylephrine infusion will be adjusted according to values of systolic blood pressure measured noninvasively and recorded at 1-minute intervals along the intraoperative period, with the objective of maintaining values near baseline.

Norepinephrine

The infusion will have a concentration of Norepinephrine of 4 μg/mL and will be initiated at a rate of 96 mL/hour (1.6 mL/minute), that correspond to norepinephrine rate infusion of 6.4 μg/min, then the infusion rate will be manually adjusted within the range 0-144 mL/h : Norepinephrine (0-9.6 µg/min).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Continuous infusion of Norepinephrine

Intervention Type DRUG

The rate of norepinephrine infusion will be adjusted according to values of systolic blood pressure measured noninvasively and recorded at 1-minute intervals along the intraoperative period, with the objective of maintaining values near baseline.

Interventions

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Continuous infusion of Norepinephrine

The rate of norepinephrine infusion will be adjusted according to values of systolic blood pressure measured noninvasively and recorded at 1-minute intervals along the intraoperative period, with the objective of maintaining values near baseline.

Intervention Type DRUG

Continuous infusion of Phenylephrine

The rate of phenylephrine infusion will be adjusted according to values of systolic blood pressure measured noninvasively and recorded at 1-minute intervals along the intraoperative period, with the objective of maintaining values near baseline.

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Full-term, singleton, pregnant women, nonlaboring.
* Scheduled for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia,
* American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status : 1 or 2
* Baseline systolic BP between 90 and 140 mm Hg.

Exclusion Criteria

* Known fetal abnormality.
* Preexisting or pregnancy-induced hypertension, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or kidney disease.
* Contraindication to spinal anesthesia.
* Peripartum hemorrhage.
* Body mass index above 40 kg/m2.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

45 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Hassan II University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Mohamed Adnane Berdai

Clinical professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Mohamed Adnane Berdai, MD-PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University hospital Hassan II, Fes, Morocco

Locations

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University hospital Hassan II

Fes, , Morocco

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

University hospital Hassan II

Fes, , Morocco

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Morocco

Central Contacts

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Mohamed Adnane Berdai, MD-PhD

Role: CONTACT

+212655260752

Facility Contacts

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Mohamed Adnane Berdai, MD-PhD

Role: primary

+212655260752

Mohamed Adnane Berdai, MD-PhD

Role: primary

+212655260752

References

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Heesen M, Stewart A, Fernando R. Vasopressors for the treatment of maternal hypotension following spinal anaesthesia for elective caesarean section: past, present and future. Anaesthesia. 2015 Mar;70(3):252-7. doi: 10.1111/anae.13007. Epub 2015 Jan 13. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25583307 (View on PubMed)

Doherty DG, Norris S, Madrigal-Estebas L, McEntee G, Traynor O, Hegarty JE, O'Farrelly C. The human liver contains multiple populations of NK cells, T cells, and CD3+CD56+ natural T cells with distinct cytotoxic activities and Th1, Th2, and Th0 cytokine secretion patterns. J Immunol. 1999 Aug 15;163(4):2314-21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10438977 (View on PubMed)

Hasanin A, Aiyad A, Elsakka A, Kamel A, Fouad R, Osman M, Mokhtar A, Refaat S, Hassabelnaby Y. Leg elevation decreases the incidence of post-spinal hypotension in cesarean section: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Anesthesiol. 2017 Apr 24;17(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s12871-017-0349-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28438121 (View on PubMed)

Veeser M, Hofmann T, Roth R, Klohr S, Rossaint R, Heesen M. Vasopressors for the management of hypotension after spinal anesthesia for elective caesarean section. Systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2012 Aug;56(7):810-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2011.02646.x. Epub 2012 Feb 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22313496 (View on PubMed)

Stewart A, Fernando R, McDonald S, Hignett R, Jones T, Columb M. The dose-dependent effects of phenylephrine for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. Anesth Analg. 2010 Nov;111(5):1230-7. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e3181f2eae1. Epub 2010 Sep 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20841418 (View on PubMed)

Ngan Kee WD, Lee SW, Ng FF, Tan PE, Khaw KS. Randomized double-blinded comparison of norepinephrine and phenylephrine for maintenance of blood pressure during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Anesthesiology. 2015 Apr;122(4):736-45. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000000601.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25635593 (View on PubMed)

Onwochei DN, Ngan Kee WD, Fung L, Downey K, Ye XY, Carvalho JCA. Norepinephrine Intermittent Intravenous Boluses to Prevent Hypotension During Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery: A Sequential Allocation Dose-Finding Study. Anesth Analg. 2017 Jul;125(1):212-218. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001846.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28248702 (View on PubMed)

Vallejo MC, Attaallah AF, Elzamzamy OM, Cifarelli DT, Phelps AL, Hobbs GR, Shapiro RE, Ranganathan P. An open-label randomized controlled clinical trial for comparison of continuous phenylephrine versus norepinephrine infusion in prevention of spinal hypotension during cesarean delivery. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2017 Feb;29:18-25. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2016.08.005. Epub 2016 Aug 28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27720613 (View on PubMed)

Ngan Kee WD, Lee SWY, Ng FF, Khaw KS. Prophylactic Norepinephrine Infusion for Preventing Hypotension During Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery. Anesth Analg. 2018 Jun;126(6):1989-1994. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000002243.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28678073 (View on PubMed)

Belin O, Casteres C, Alouini S, Le Pape M, Dupont A, Boulain T. Manually Controlled, Continuous Infusion of Phenylephrine or Norepinephrine for Maintenance of Blood Pressure and Cardiac Output During Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery: A Double-Blinded Randomized Study. Anesth Analg. 2023 Mar 1;136(3):540-550. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000006244. Epub 2022 Oct 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36279409 (View on PubMed)

Ngan Kee WD. Phenylephrine infusions for maintaining blood pressure during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery: finding the shoe that fits. Anesth Analg. 2014 Mar;118(3):496-8. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000000111. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24557093 (View on PubMed)

Mohta M, Dubey M, Malhotra RK, Tyagi A. Comparison of the potency of phenylephrine and norepinephrine bolus doses used to treat post-spinal hypotension during elective caesarean section. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2019 May;38:25-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2018.12.002. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30685301 (View on PubMed)

Ngan Kee WD. A Random-allocation Graded Dose-Response Study of Norepinephrine and Phenylephrine for Treating Hypotension during Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery. Anesthesiology. 2017 Dec;127(6):934-941. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000001880.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28872480 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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EC01/2024

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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