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

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Labor
• Analgesia, Epidural

Interventions

DRUG

Morphine-CP-saline (MCS)

3mg of preservative free morphine will be administered epidurally 30 min prior to epidural anesthesia. Epidural 3% 2CP will be used to achieve a T4 dermatomal level for surgical anesthesia for PPTL. 6ml of epidural saline will be administered at skin incision

DRUG

saline-2CP-morphine (SCM)

6ml of saline will be administered epidurally 30 min prior to epidural anesthesia. Epidural 3% 2CP will be used to achieve a T4 dermatomal level for surgical anesthesia for PPTL. 3mg of preservative free morphine will be administered at skin incision

DRUG

saline-lidocaine-morphine (SLM)

3mg of preservative free morphine will be administered epidurally 30 min prior to epidural anesthesia. Epidural 2% lidocaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 will be used to achieve a T4 dermatomal level for surgical anesthesia for PPTL. 6ml of epidural saline will be administered at skin incision

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Northwestern University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Cynthia A Wong, M.D. · Northwestern University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2004-08-31

Primary Completion

2008-09-30

Completion

2008-09-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations