EpiFaith Resident Learning Curve Trial

This study aims to evaluate the impact of the EpiFaith® syringe on the learning curve of anesthesia residents for the labor epidural technique. Anesthesia residents with prior experience placing \< 5 labor epidurals will be enrolled. Their performance of 20 sequential labor epidural placements with either standard technique with a beveled glass syringe or the EpiFaith® syringe will be observed. Successful epidural placement over time with sequential epidural placement attempts will be measured between groups. The primary outcome will be rate of successful epidural placement. Success will be defined as a composite of 4 criteria: maximum 3 attempts for placement; no need to re-site at a different level; no required intervention by the supervising attending anesthesiologist; and adequate analgesia with a visual analog score (VAS) \<3 at 30 minutes. We hypothesize that use of the EpiFaith® syringe will enable a faster learning curve for successful epidural placement. A cumulative sum chart (CUSUM) analysis will evaluate whether the EpiFaith® syringe causes deviation from the control learning curve. Secondary outcomes will include rate of inadvertent dural puncture and epidural replacement rate.

NCT Number	NCT07395622
Lead Sponsor	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Conditions	Epidural Analgesia, Epidural Analgesia for Labour and Delivery, Learning Curve
Enrollment	34 participants
Start Date	2023-09-01
Primary Completion	2026-05-01 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-06-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-02-09