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NCT Number: NCT02193542

Incidence of Difficult Airway and Difficult Neuraxial Placement in Obstetric Patients

Anesthesiologists commonly administer pain relief during labor or providing anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Two main methods are used to achieve these goal: "Regional anesthesia" where the mother is given medication through a needle or catheter in her back and the mother is kept awake, or "General anesthesia", where the mother is given intravenous medication and is kept asleep.

Regional anesthesia uses a needle to enter a narrow space in the mother's back where medications can be given. In some patients, it takes longer to find this target space in the back. In emergency situation, however, there is often little time to find this space, and the backup method would be the general anesthesia technique.

If general anesthesia is required, a breathing tube needs to be inserted to help support the mother's breathing. In some patients, it is harder to insert the breathing tubes, so knowing this in advanced helps anesthesiologists create a safe plan for the patients. A lot of research has been done to determine factors that would predict which patients would need more time and preparation for general anesthesia and regional anesthesia.

The purpose of this study is to study how common it is for the pregnant patients who have a difficult regional and general anesthesia.

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Key information

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Anthony Chau, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

617-732-5500

Anthony Chau, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Carolina Bibbo, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Eric Cappiello, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Julian Robinson, MD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Lawrence Tsen, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

Anesthesiologists commonly administer pain relief during labor or providing anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Two main methods are used to achieve these goal: "Regional anesthesia" where the mother is given medication through a needle or catheter in her back and the mother is kept awake, or "General anesthesia", where the mother is given intravenous medication and is kept asleep.

Regional anesthesia uses a needle to enter a narrow space in the mother's back where medications can be given. In some patients, it takes longer to find this target space in the back. In emergency situation, however, there is often little time to find this space, and the backup method would be the general anesthesia technique.

If general anesthesia is required, a breathing tube needs to be inserted to help support the mother's breathing. In some patients, it is harder to insert the breathing tubes, so knowing this in advanced helps anesthesiologists create a safe plan for the patients. A lot of research has been done to determine factors that would predict which patients would need more time and preparation for general anesthesia and regional anesthesia.

The purpose of this study is to study how common it is for the pregnant patients who have a difficult regional and general anesthesia.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Pregnant woman presenting for vaginal or cesarean delivery

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnant woman presenting for vaginal or cesarean delivery requiring urgent or emergent delivery

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. incidence of difficult regional and general anesthesia

    Time frame: within 30 days

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Prospective Observation Study of Incidence of Difficult Airway and Difficult Neuraxial Placement in Obstetric Patients

Acronym: DADB

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 17, 2014
Registry last updated
Jul 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.