Preventing fever in women with labour epidurals using a neck warmer

A randomised clinical trial of the paradoxical cooling effect of a neck warmer in the prevention of maternal pyrexia after insertion and management of low dose epidurals in labour

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN38665751

Enrollment

400

Registered

2009-11-11

Start date

2009-06-08

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2017-05-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Fever in women with epidural analgesia during labour Pregnancy and Childbirth

Interventions

Intervention group: Neck warmer worn during labour Control group: No intervention

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Female

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Women (no age limit) with epidurals for analgesia in labour 2. Nulliparous women (more likely to have labours >6 hours) 3. Cervical dilatation no more than 4 cm (more likely to have labours >6 hours) 4. First labour (more likely to have labours >6 hours) 5. Gestation >36 weeks (more likely to have labours > 6 hours)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Pre-existing fever >37.5 degrees C (fever caused by something other than the epidural) 2. Concurrent maternal disease, including pre-eclampsia (pro-inflammatory state) 3. Multiple pregnancy (physiology of labour exaggerated) 4. Patients receiving steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs within 6 hours (may influence the temperature and interleukin 6 [IL-6])

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Maternal temperature rise during labour	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Neonatal temperature at 15 minutes post delivery 2. Change in baseline foetal heart rate on cardiotocography (CTG) from the time that the epidural was sited until delivery 3. Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes 4. Percentage of neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 5. Number of hours of maternal shivering during labour 6. Percentage of women given paracetamol for fever in labour 7. Mode of delivery 8. Rise in inflammatory markers (IL-6 and C-reactive protein [CRP])	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Neonatal temperature at 15 minutes post delivery 2. Change in baseline foetal heart rate on cardiotocography (CTG) from the time that the epidural was sited until delivery 3. Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes 4. Percentage of neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 5. Number of hours of maternal shivering during labour 6. Percentage of women given paracetamol for fever in labour 7. Mode of delivery 8. Rise in inflammatory markers (IL-6 and C-reactive protein [CRP])

—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026