An interventional study of Position and Angle Marking System and Standard clinical practice in Ultrasound-guided Neuraxial Procedures, sponsored by KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Singapore. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-07.
Sponsored by KK Women's and Children's Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Epidural anaesthesia involves the administration of numbing medication (local anaesthetics) close to the spinal canal, and is regarded as the best method for providing pain relief during labour and childbirth. The use of ultrasound to guide epidural insertion and placement has been shown to improve pain relief and reduce the risk of complications.
However, after identifying the desired needle insertion site via ultrasound, current practice involves demarcating the insertion site using marker pens, which is time-consuming, inaccurate, and may be inadvertently removed by skin sterilisation. Furthermore, the desired needle angulation determined by ultrasound cannot be accurately measured and maintained during the epidural procedure. Both issues limit the benefits of using ultrasound to guide the epidural procedure.
To address these issues, the investigators developed a Position and Angular Marking System (PAMS) that attaches on to the ultrasound probe. When the desired insertion site is identified by ultrasound, the doctor gently presses PAMS into the patient's back to create skin indentations demarcating the needle insertion point. These indentations are not affected by skin sterilisation, and may improve accuracy and reduce the time taken to perform the epidural procedure. Next, the angle between the ultrasound probe and the patient's back can be measured using PAMS, and this angle can be maintained using a needle guide during the epidural procedure.
The purpose of this randomised study is to evaluate the usability of PAMS and to identify areas for further improvement.
This study will involve up to 10 healthy simulated patients, and up to 30 volunteer ultrasound operators. After undergoing a standardised training session with a mannequin, the ultrasound operators will be randomly assigned to perform skin marking on the simulated patients as though they are performing an ultrasound-guided epidural anaesthesia procedure (no needle puncture will be made) using either PAMS, or standard clinical practice with marker pens. After completing the procedure, the ultrasound operators will cross over and perform the procedure again using either PAMS or standard clinical practice with marker pens.
Both the ultrasound operators and simulated patients will be asked to complete satisfaction and usability surveys regarding their experience with the procedures.
The volunteer ultrasound operators are women's anaesthesiologists trained in the use of ultrasound-guided neuraxial procedures.
Simulated patients are healthy volunteers from other departments, without spine abnormalities.
The ultrasound operators will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding your prior experience with neuraxial ultrasonography and undergo structured training on the use of PAMS using a mannequin. Next, they will be asked to perform the following two procedures (the order at which they will perform the procedures will be randomised):
Ultrasound scan using PAMS
Ultrasound scan without PAMS (standard clinical practice)
Both procedures are non-invasive (i.e. no skin punctures will be made). No follow up is required for this study.
No new research medications are involved in this study.
Additionally, video recordings may be made of the procedures. Any video or ultrasound images obtained during the course of this study will be stored and analysed only for the purposes of this study for a period not exceeding 7 years, and will be destroyed after completion of the study. Technical data such as the scanning duration and success rate will also be documented.
KK Women's and Children's Hospital is the lead sponsor of 136 studies on the registry; 33 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Ultrasound operators
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Simulated patients
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
* Lumbar ultrasound scan will be performed to identify the desired needle insertion site, followed by demarcation using skin markers. * The angulation of the ultrasound probe will be adjusted to optimise the image of the simulated patient's lumbar spine. * The ultrasound probe will be removed and needle insertion simulated by touching the tip of a blunt needle to the patient's back, at the desired angle. * A usability questionnaire regarding the procedure will be completed.
Device: Standard clinical practice
* PAMS will be attached to the ultrasound probe. * Lumbar ultrasound scan will be performed to identify the desired needle insertion site, followed by demarcation by gentle pressing PAMS into the simulated patient's back to create skin indentations. * The angulation of the ultrasound probe will be adjusted to optimise the image of the simulated patient's lumbar spine, and the angle read off a graduated scale. * The ultrasound probe will be removed and needle insertion simulated by touching the tip of a blunt needle to the patient's back, at the desired angle. * A usability questionnaire regarding the procedure will be completed.
Device: Position and Angle Marking System
Position and Angular Marking System (PAMS) attaches on to the ultrasound probe. When the desired insertion site is identified by ultrasound, the doctor gently presses PAMS into the patient's back to create skin indentations demarcating the needle insertion point. These indentations are not affected by skin sterilisation, and may improve accuracy and reduce the time taken to perform the epidural procedure. Next, the angle between the ultrasound probe and the patient's back can be measured using PAMS, and this angle can be maintained using a needle guide during the epidural procedure.
Also known as: PAMS
When the desired insertion site is identified by ultrasound, the doctor demarcate the needle insertion point using marker pens.
Satisfaction survey of simulated patients and operators
Satisfaction and feedback regarding the respective procedures
Time frame: Immediately after performing the procedure
Time taken to perform procedure
Comparison of time taken to perform the interventional procedure (PAMS), versus standard clinical practice (control)
Time frame: Immediately after performing the procedure
Plan to share: No
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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KK Women's and Children's Hospital