Impact of Dural Puncture Epidural Versus Traditional Lumbar Epidural on Onset of Labor Analgesia

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02412969

Enrollment

101

Registered

2015-04-09

Start date

2014-08-31

Completion date

2016-06-30

Last updated

2016-08-17

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

Conditions

Labor Analgesia, Labor Pain

Brief summary

This study is to examine the onset of pain relief with two different methods of labor epidural. The traditional labor epidural involves the placement of numbing and anti-pain medicine in the epidural space which surrounds the spinal cord. In order to take effect, the medication has to cross a layer of tissue called the dura. In the current study, the same medications are placed in the epidural space after the dura is punctured with a fine needle. This research, will help evaluate whether this technique will result in earlier onset of pain relief.

Interventions

PROCEDURELumbar Epidural

control group will receive lumbar puncture epidural

PROCEDUREDural Puncture Epidural

intervention group will receive a dural puncture epidural

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

18 Years to 40 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Pregnant patients in active painful labor * ASA I and II parturients * Women Ages 18+ to 40 * Patients who have labor epidural as part of their labor plan will be recruited

Exclusion criteria

* Patients admitted to the Labor and Delivery Suite who are committed to have a delivery with the current admission but who do not want a labor epidural * Patients with the following: bleeding disorders, infection at the site of epidural placement, generalized sepsis, stenotic heart valve lesions, increased intracranial pressure, patients with hypovolemia, and patient refusal * Parturients with chronic pain syndromes * Patients on MAO inhibitors * Patients with allergies to bupivacaine and fentanyl (and other amide local anesthetics) patients with substance abuse history will be excluded * Non English-speaking patients will be excluded

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Compare time of onset of labor analgesia Dural Puncture vs Lumbar Puncture	two days post delivery

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Incidence of Side Effect	two days post delivery	Incidence of maternal motor block, hypotension, pruritis, headache, patient satisfaction and fetal bradycardia.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026