Labour Epidural Top-up with Warmed Ropivacaine [1]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of the body temperature 0.75% Ropivacaine on the time to convert labour epidural analgesia to anaesthesia for surgical delivery
IRAS ID
189493
Contact name
Katherine Cheesman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation NHS Trust, R&D Department
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
An epidural is commonly used to provide pain relief during labour. When an operative procedure is required (Caesarian section or instrumental delivery), the epidural catheter can be used to extend the level of pain relief from analgesia for labour to anaesthesia for surgery. The operation is often urgent (eg the fetus is compromised or there is obstetrical bleeding) and the speed of onset of anaesthesia important to expedite the surgery. . \nTo extend the function of the epidural to provide surgical anaesthesia from labour analgesia we “top up the epidural“ by injecting a strong local anaesthetic drug called ‘Ropivacaine through the catheter into epidural space. We hypothesise that warming this drug to body temperature would speed up the onset time of anaesthesia and allow for the surgery to start sooner. \n\nThe study will be undertaken in St Thomas’ Hospital Birth Centre. All patients with a working epidural for labour analgesia and requiring a surgical delivery will be eligible to participate in study. Patients agreed to participate in the study will undergo routine epidural top-up with Ropivacaine, but will be randomised into two groups: 1st one will get room temperature Ropivacaine (which is a standard practice) and the 2nd group will have Ropivacaine warmed to 37 degrees (body temperature). We hope to collect the data in 6 months. \n
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/2123
Date of REC Opinion
18 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion