NCT06494280

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to examine the impact of programmed intermittent bolus epidural analgesia technique on the incidence of breakthrough pain during labor in nulliparous women compared to continuous epidural infusion. Nulliparous women will randomly be divided during labor into two groups; study group will receive mix of Bupivacaine and fentanyl once (bolus) every 60 minutes; the control group will receive continuously the same dose during an hour, until delivery.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
240

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
7mo left

Started Sep 2024

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress75%
Sep 2024Dec 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 2, 2024

Completed
8 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 10, 2024

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 10, 2024

Completed
2.1 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

November 1, 2026

Expected
1 month until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

April 13, 2026

Status Verified

April 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

2.1 years

First QC Date

July 2, 2024

Last Update Submit

April 7, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

NulliparaTerm pregnancySingletonVertex presentationLatent phaseMaternal request for epiduralVisual analogue scale > 4

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • breakthrough pain

    Incidence of breakthrough pain, defined as Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score \> 30. The VAS consists of a 100cm line, with two end points representing 0 ('no pain') and 100 (severe pain).

    48 hours

Secondary Outcomes (26)

  • manual bolus (top up)

    48 hours

  • Hourly visual analogue scale

    48 hours

  • Time to delivery

    48 hours

  • Oxytocin augmentation

    48 hours

  • Duration of second stage

    48 hours

  • +21 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

study group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Epidural analgesia will be maintained by receiving programmed intermittent 10ml bolus of 0.1% Bupivacaine and 2microgram\\ml Fentanyl every one hour, until the delivery is completed, and lacerations are sutured.

Drug: programmed intermittent Bolus epidural analgesia

control group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Epidural analgesia will be maintained by receiving 10ml\\h continuous infusion of 0.1% Bupivacaine and 2microgram\\ml Fentanyl until the delivery is completed, and lacerations are sutured.

Drug: continuous epidural infusion

Interventions

About 30 minutes after the end of the epidural and administration of the loading dose, the woman will be asked to report her pain level. If the VAS score \<30, the woman will receive the study group protocol for pain maintenance, i.e., a programmed intermittent bolus of 10 ml of 0.1% bupivacaine and 2 μg/ml fentanyl every hour until the completion of labor and suturing of the incision. The participant can add to herself 5 ml of the same solution of Bupivacaine and Fentanyl every 30 minutes. The maximum dose that the parturient is allowed to receive is 20 ml for one hour. If a breakthrough pain appears during labor, a bolus of 10 ml of anesthetic solution with the same concentration will be added. Participants with a VAS score \>30 after 30 minutes of the loading dose will be asked to perform a new epidural (if it was decided that the epidural failed) otherwise her data will not be collected for the final analysis of the study.

Also known as: Bupivacaine + Fentanyl
study group

About 30 minutes after the end of the epidural and administration of the loading dose, the woman will be asked to report her pain level. If the VAS score \<30, the woman will receive the control group protocol for pain maintenance, i.e., 0.1% Bupivacaine and 2 μg/ml fentanyl as a continuous infusion per one hour, until the delivery is completed, and laceration is sutured. The participant can add to herself 5 ml of the same solution of Bupivacaine and Fentanyl every 30 minutes. The maximum dose that the parturient is allowed to receive is 20 ml for one hour. If a breakthrough pain appears during labor, a bolus of 10 ml of anesthetic solution with the same concentration will be added. Participants with a VAS score \>30 after 30 minutes of the loading dose will be asked to perform a new epidural (if it was decided that the epidural failed) otherwise her data will not be collected for the final analysis of the study.

Also known as: Bupivacaine + Fentanyl
control group

Eligibility Criteria

Sexfemale
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Nulliparous women
  • Term pregnancy
  • Singleton
  • Vertex presentation
  • Latent phase (cervical dilatation \<6 cm)
  • Epidural analgesia request
  • Visual Analogue Scale score \> 40

You may not qualify if:

  • Estimated fetal weight \> 4 kg
  • Intra uterine fetal death
  • Drug sensitivity
  • Anomalous fetus
  • Contraindication for epidural analgesia

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Holy Family Hospital

Nazareth, Israel

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

  • 1. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstetric analgesia and anesthesia. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 209. Obstet Gynecol. 2019;133:e208-25. 2. Anim-Somuah M, Smyth RM, Cyna AM, Cuthbert A. Epidural versus non-epidural or no analgesia for pain management in labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2018:5;CD000331. 3. Jones L, Othman M, Dowswell T, Alfirevic Z, Gates S, Newburn M, et al. Pain management for women in labour: an overview of systematic reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012:3;CD009234. 4. George RB, Allen TK, Habib AS. Intermittent epidural bolus compared with continuous epidural infusions for labor analgesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Anesth Analg 2013;116:133-44. 5. Sng BL, Zeng Y, de Souza NNA, Leong WL, Oh TT, Siddiqui FJ, Assam PN, Han NR, Chan ES, Sia AT. Automated mandatory bolus versus basal infusion for maintenance of epidural analgesia in labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5:CD011344. 6. Ferrer LE, Romero DJ, Vasquez OI, Matute EC, Van de Velde M. Effect of programmed intermittent epidural boluses and continuous epidural infusion on labor analgesia and obstetric outcomes: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2017;296:915-22. 7. Ojo OA, Mehdiratta JE, Gamez BH, Hunting J, Habib AS. Comparison of programmed intermittent epidural boluses with continuous epidural infusion for the maintenance of labor analgesia: a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Anesth Analg. 2020;130:426-35. 8. Haidl F, Arne Rosseland L, Rorvik AM, Dahl V. Programmed intermittent boluses vs continuous epidural infusion in labor using an adrenaline containing solution: A randomized trial. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2020;64:1505-12. 9. Riazanova OV, Alexandrovich YS, Guseva YV, Ioscovich AM. A randomized comparison of low dose ropivacaine programmed intermittent epidural bolus with continuous epidural infusion for labour analgesia. Rom J Anaesth Intensive Care. 2019;26:25-30. 10. Fan Y, Hou W, Feng S, Mao P, Wang X, Jiang J, Yuan H, Shen X, Feng S, Li P. Programmed intermittent epidural bolus decreases the incidence of intra-partum fever for labor analgesia in primiparous women: a randomized controlled study. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2019;300:1551-7 11. Xu J, Zhou J, Xiao H, Pan S, Liu J, Shang Y, Yao S. A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing programmed intermittent bolus and continuous infusion as the background infusion for parturient-controlled epidural analgesia. Sci Rep. 2019;9:2583. 12. Wang XX, Zhang XL, Zhang ZX, Xin ZQ, Guo HJ, Liu HY, Xiao J, Zhang YL, Yuan SZ. Programmed intermittent epidural bolus in parturients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022;101: e28742. 13. Bullingham A, Liang S, Edmonds E, Mathur S, Sharma S. Continuous epidural infusion vs programmed intermittent epidural bolus for labour analgesia: a prospective, controlled, before-and-after cohort study of labour outcomes. Br J Anaesth. 2018;121:432-7. 14. Lin Y, Li Q, Liu J, Yang R, Liu J. Comparison of continuous epidural infusion and programmed intermittent epidural bolus in labor analgesia. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2016;12:1107-12. 15. Lim Y, Sia AT, Ocampo C. Automated regular boluses for epidural analgesia: a comparison with continuous infusion. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2005;14:305-9. 16. Salim R, Nachum Z, Moscovici R, Lavee M, Shalev E. Continuous compared with intermittent epidural infusion on progress of labor and patient satisfaction. Obstet Gynecol 2005;106:301-6. 17. Lim Y, Ocampo CE, Supandji M, Teoh WH, Sia AT. A randomized controlled trial of three patient-controlled epidural analgesia regimens for labor. Anesth Analg 2008;107:1968-72. 18. Capogna G, Camorcia M, Stirparo S, Farcomeni A. Programmed intermittent epidural bolus versus continuous epidural infusion for labor analgesia: the effects on maternal motor function and labor outcome. A randomized double-blind study in nulliparous women. Anesth Analg 2011;113:826-31. 19. Carvalho B, George RB, Cobb B, McKenzie C, Riley ET. Implementation of Programmed Intermittent Epidural Bolus for the Maintenance of Labor Analgesia. Anesth Analg 2016;123:965-71 20. Diez-Picazo LD, Guasch E, Brogly N, Gilsanz F. Is breakthrough pain better managed by adding programmed intermittent epidural bolus to a background infusion during labor epidural analgesia? A randomized controlled trial. Minerva Anestesiol. 2019;85:1097-104. 21. Roofthooft E, Barbé A, Schildermans J, Cromheecke S, Devroe S, Fieuws S, Rex S, Wong CA, Van de Velde M. Programmed intermittent epidural bolus vs. patient-controlled epidural analgesia for maintenance of labour analgesia: a two-centre, double-blind, randomised study. Anaesthesia. 2020;75:1635-42. 22. Sultan P, Murphy C, Halpern S, Carvalho B. The effect of low concentrations versus high concentrations of local anesthetics for labour analgesia on obstetric and anesthetic outcomes: a meta-analysis. Can J Anaesth. 2013;60:840-54.

    RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Breakthrough Pain

Interventions

BupivacaineFentanyl

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

AnilidesAmidesOrganic ChemicalsAniline CompoundsAminesPiperidinesHeterocyclic Compounds, 1-RingHeterocyclic Compounds

Study Officials

  • Raed Salim, MD

    Holy Family Hospital, Nazareth, Israel

    STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Raed Salim, MD

CONTACT

Asmaa Masri Esmail, MD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
OTHER
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
head of obstetrics and gynecology department

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 2, 2024

First Posted

July 10, 2024

Study Start

September 10, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

April 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

IPD that underlie results in a publication

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, CSR
Time Frame
starting 6 months after publication
Access Criteria
Access to IPD can be requested by qualified researchers and will be granted after review and approval of a research proposal and statistical analysis plan and execution of a data sharing agreement. For more information or to apply, please contact the Principal Investigator

Locations