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Anesthesia, EpiduralPhase 4NCT00394459

Safety of Two Epidural Catheters in Thoracic Epidural Anaesthesia (TEA)

A Phase 4 study testing Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia Catheter, Perifix Standard and Perifix New in people with Anesthesia, Epidural and Paraesthesia, run by Maastricht University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Primary Objective: The primary objective is to demonstrate that the safety of Perifix New is non-inferior to using Perifix Standard when applied for thoracic epidural anaesthesia. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Anesthesia, Epidural, Paraesthesia
What is being tested?
Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia Catheter, Perifix Standard and Perifix New
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
140 participants
Where
1 siteNetherlands
Study dates
Apr 2005to May 2009
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients scheduled for thoracic epidural anaesthesia (TEA), with or without general anaesthesia.
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I-III
  • Patients aged 18 and ≤ 75 years of age

Who cannot join

  • Anamnestic exclusion criteria are all contraindications for epidural anaesthesia.
  • Severe scoliosis, previous surgery on the spine, M. Bechterew disease
  • Non-competent and non-cooperative patients
  • Patients with medicament and drug abuse problems, problems in communication, participating in parallel in another clinical study with experimental drugs or devices, receiving prohibited concomitant therapies

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Netherlands1 site
  • University Hospital Maastricht

    Maastricht, 6202 AZ

Other trials in Netherlands

About this study

Official title: Randomised, Prospective, Single-blind, Controlled Multicenter Study on the Safety of Two Epidural Catheters in Patients Undergoing Surgery Under Thoracic Epidural Anaesthesia

Primary Objective: The primary objective is to demonstrate that the safety of Perifix New is non-inferior to using Perifix Standard when applied for thoracic epidural anaesthesia.

Primary Endpoint: Incidence of spontaneous paraesthesia during catheter insertion

Read more

Secondary Objectives: The secondary objectives are to determine the safety and performance of the investigational product: frequency of inadvertent vascular cannulation, difficulties involved in insertion and removal of the catheter, other safety features and data for the evaluation of handling characteristics.

Title: Randomised, prospective, single-blind, controlled, study on the safety of two epidural catheters in patients undergoing surgery under thoracic epidural anaesthesia

Investigational Product: Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia Catheter

Test Product: Perifix New

Reference Product: Perifix Standard

Number of Sites and Countries: 1 site in The Netherlands

Indication: Thoracic epidural anaesthesia

Study Design: Randomised, prospective, single-blind, controlled study in 1 study center, phase IV

Perifix New and Perifix Standard meet all the appropriate provisions of the relevant legislation implementing European Directives (both have CE-marking).

Study Duration: 2 year duration

Study Start: March-April 2005

Sample Size: n = 2*70 patients

Read the detailed description

Epidural anaesthesia is a central neuraxial block technique with many applications. Improvements in equipment, drugs and technique have made it a popular and versatile anaesthetic technique, with applications in surgery, obstetrics and pain control. Both single injection and catheter techniques can be used. Its versatility means it can be used as an anaesthetic, as an analgesic adjuvant to general anaesthesia, and for postoperative analgesia in procedures involving the lower limbs, perineum, pelvis, abdomen and thorax.

Although epidural anaesthesia is a safe technique, during the insertion of epidural catheters several side effects may occur, including transient paraesthesia and inadvertent vascular cannulation.

Reported incidences for paraesthesia vary widely between about 0.2% and 50% in different articles, depending on the catheter (catheter material, soft-tipped or firm-tipped catheter), the applied technique (lumbar or thoracic epidural anaesthesia, depth of catheter insertion), the approach (midline or paramedian) and the included patients (obstetrical or non-obstetrical). Paraesthesias are not supposed to lead to permanent neurological sequelae, but are unpleasant and perturbing sensations for the patient.

Besides inadvertent intrathecal location of the catheter, further problems include technical difficulties during threading or removal of the catheter. Here, the catheter shaft material seems to be the crucial factor for the incidence of problems.

Based upon years of experience, a wide range of epidural catheters were created, among them the Perifix catheter of B. Braun. Common features are their high tensile strength and stretch resistance, excellent shaft stability with easy visualisation of blood or spinal fluid due to the crystal clear material, no risk of forming loops or knots, and softening of catheter within a few hours due to water absorption of the polyamide material.

Recently, B. Braun Melsungen AG has developed a new generation of Perifix epidural catheters, which are already CE-labeled. These new catheters are different in their composition compared to the current Perifix Standard catheter with regard to the catheter material and tip configuration. They have an outer poly-urethane liner and an inner polyamide body. Experimental tests have shown that the positive features (e.g. pushability, kink resistance, gliding, withdrawal) of the Perifix Standard catheter can be maintained. Due to the polyurethane outer layer, the catheter gets softer when reaching body temperature immediately upon insertion. Based on this, it is expected that paraesthesias during catheter injection can be reduced by at least 20%.

Being tested
Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia Catheter, Perifix Standard, Perifix New
Keywords
Anaesthetic techniques, epidural, catheters, paraesthesia, side effects, Anesthesia, Epidural [E03.155.086.131]
Medical subject headings
Paresthesia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia CatheterDevice

    Epidural Catheter

  • Perifix StandardDevice

    Perifix Standard

  • Perifix NewDevice

    Perifix New

Study groups in NCT00394459
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
AActive comparatorPerifix Standard
Receives: Device: Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia Catheter; Device: Perifix Standard
BExperimentalPerifix New
Receives: Device: Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia Catheter; Device: Perifix New

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. The primary end-point will be the incidence of spontaneous paraesthesia during catheter insertion in TEA-patients.

    Measured: 1 hour

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. The frequency of inadvertent vascular cannulation

    Measured: 1 hour

  2. Difficulties involved in insertion and removal of the catheter

    Measured: 1 week

  3. Data on additional complications

    Measured: 1 week

  4. Data for the evaluation of handling characteristics

    Measured: 1 week

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted1 Nov 2006 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2005
  3. Primary completionMar 2008
  4. Study completionMay 2009

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
140 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00394459
Sponsor's protocol ID
MEC 04-1-83
Other IDs
H-04-078-04
Status last verified
May 2011
First submitted
31 Oct 2006
Last updated
13 May 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Perifix Epidural Anaesthesia Catheter, Perifix Standard and Perifix New in people with Anesthesia, Epidural and Paraesthesia, run by Maastricht University Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 May 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

The primary end-point will be the incidence of spontaneous paraesthesia during catheter insertion in TEA-patients. (time frame: 1 hour). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 May 2011.

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