Effect of Timing on Efficacy of Morphine Analgesia After 2-chloroprocaine Anesthesia

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Labor, Analgesia, Epidural

In brief

Epidural chloroprocaine is often used in obstetrical anesthesia because of its fast onset and short duration. These properties make it an ideal drug to use for epidural anesthesia in patients undergoing postpartum tubal ligation. When epidural morphine is given after chloroprocaine, there is a decreased efficacy of analgesia as compared to lidocaine (1). Several studies have hypothesized a specific opioid receptor mediated antagonism of chloroprocaine (2,3). Karambelkar raised the question whether this decreased efficacy is due to a disparity between the time the chloroprocaine anesthesia resolves and the onset of epidural morphine analgesia, resulting in a time window of pain (2). The duration of action of epidural 2-CP anesthesia is 30-45 minutes and the onset of epidural morphine analgesia is 60-70 minutes, therefore the regression of sensory blockade before the onset of the morphine analgesia could result in a window of pain (2). Hess and colleagues studied epidural morphine analgesia and women who had a Cesarean delivery under spinal bupivacaine anesthesia (3). Subjects were randomized to receive epidural 2-CP and morphine or epidural saline and morphine. There was no difference in postoperative analgesia between the two groups (3 and personal communication, Dr. Philip Hess). A literature search cross referencing epidural chloroprocaine, using Pub Med, did not produce any articles comparing epidural morphine given before the procedure (in an attempt to time the onset of analgesia with the resolution of chloroprocaine anesthesia) to the standard administration time after the procedure.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00487084

Run by

Northwestern University

People needed

136

Starts

2004-08-01

Expected to finish

2008-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2014-04-14

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 60. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• All patients with an epidural catheter in situ for labor analgesia, status post a vaginal delivery, and scheduled for a postpartum tubal ligation under epidural anesthesia will be eligible

You may not qualify if…

• Allergy/hypersensitivity to morphine
• Allergy/hypersensitivity to ester-linked local anesthetics or para-amino benzoic acid (PABA)
• Body Mass Index >40 kg/m2
• Patients using chronic opioids
• History of obstructive sleep apnea
• Any contraindication to epidural anesthesia

Where it is running

• Northwestern University — Chicago, Illinois, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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