Conditions: Pregnancy
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 36
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of continuous postpartum epidural saline infusion on the reactivation of labor epidurals for postpartum tubal ligation surgery following vaginal delivery.

Detailed description:
The aim of this research is to determine the effect of postpartum epidural saline infusion on the reactivation of labor epidural catheters which are used as the anesthetic technique for PPTL following vaginal delivery. It is proposed that continuous epidural saline infusion will decrease the incidence of catheter obstruction by preventing clot, fibrosis, or tissue plugging and therefore improve reactivation rates. To our knowledge, this is a novel method for attempting to improve epidural reactivation rate and if successful, it would challenge the current practice of only capping epidurals following delivery and later attempting reactivation prior to PPTL. This may, possibly, become a new technique used to improve the rate of epidural reactivation for PPTL.

If study results show improved labor epidural reactivation rates, benefits would include decreased patient morbidity and greater patient comfort and satisfaction by avoiding the risks of additional neuraxial procedures as well as general anesthesia. These risks include difficult or failed intubation, aspiration, hypotension, headache, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and sore throat. Improving epidural reactivation rate could also result in greater OR efficiency and decreased costs for the patient and hospital.

The investigators also hope to elucidate factors associated with catheter migration or dislodgement and subsequent failure of epidural reactivation. Additionally, we hope to determine what effect obesity and length of time prior epidural reactivation have on epidural reactivation rates.

Arms:
arm 1: Group 1 (control) will have the epidural catheter capped and left in place. arm 2: Group 2 (treatment) will have an epidural infusion initiated with preservative-free normal saline at a continuous rate of 4ml/hour

Interventions: intervention 1: Normal Saline Infusion intervention 2: Capped Epidural
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Group 2 (treatment) will have an epidural infusion initiated with preservative-free normal saline at a continuous rate of 4ml/hour intervention 2: epidural will be capped with no saline infusion.

Protocol document: