Should Anaesthesiologists Be Taught to Perform Ultrasound-- Assisted Neuraxial Access in Spinal Anaesthesia?
Recruiting now · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Ultrasound, Spinal Anaesthesia, Simulation Based Medical Education
In brief
Neuraxial blockade is commonly performed using a manual palpation technique, but the procedure can be challenging, particularly in patients with high body mass index, pregnancy, or spinal deformities. Preprocedural ultrasound may improve identification of the optimal injection site, yet its use in clinical practice remains limited, partly due to a lack of structured training. This multicentre randomised controlled trial investigates whether anaesthesiologists performing ultrasound-assisted spinal anaesthesia achieve better clinical outcomes and higher patient satisfaction compared with the traditional manual palpation technique. Both novice anaesthesia residents and more experienced anaesthesiologists are included. Participants receive structured simulation-based training using either ultrasound-assisted or manual palpation techniques, following a mastery learning approach with predefined performance standards. After certification, participants perform spinal anaesthesia during elective lower limb surgery, with clinical performance assessed by senior anaesthesiologists. The primary outcome is first-attempt success of spinal block. Secondary outcomes include number of attempts, needle redirections, time spent, need for assistance, and overall block success. Patient satisfaction and complications are assessed as tertiary outcomes. This study aims to provide evidence on the clinical effects of structured training in ultrasound-assisted neuraxial access and to explore the role of prior clinical experience.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07426679
- Run by
- University of Southern Denmark
- People needed
- 40
- Starts
- 2026-02-01
- Expected to finish
- 2026-12-31
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-02-23
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 18. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Physicians will be included using the following inclusion criteria:
- Physicians working in anaesthesia
- Opportunity to use the spinal block technique within 2 weeks of the training session.
- Eligible patients will be those scheduled for elective lower limb surgery requiring spinal anaesthesia.
You may not qualify if…
- Exclusion criteria: Patients under 18 years of age.
Where it is running
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive care — Kolding, Denmark (enrolling)
- Martine Siw Nielsen — Kolding, Denmark
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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