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CompletedNCT07516717ITM-CESAREANUpdated Apr 8, 2026

Intrathecal Morphine 75 mcg Versus 100 mcg for Post-Cesarean Analgesia: A Randomized Double-blind Trial

A Phase 4 interventional study of Intrathecal Morphine in Postoperative Pain, Cesarean Section and Obstetric Anesthesia, sponsored by Hospital Universitario de Caracas. Completed at 1 site in Venezuela. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-08.

Sponsored by Hospital Universitario de Caracas · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 3 years 2 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jan 2023, registered Apr 2026).
Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
240
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 45 Years
Sex
Female
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Study summary

This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of two different doses of intrathecal morphine (75 mcg versus 100 mcg) for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. Effective postoperative pain control is essential to improve maternal recovery, facilitate early mobilization, and enhance neonatal care. Participants were randomly of assigned to receive either 75 mcg or 100 mcg of intrathecal morphine dose that provides effective analgesia while minimizing adverse effects in the obstetric population.

Read the detailed description

This prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled trial was designed to compare the analgesic efficacy and safety of two doses of intrathecal morphine (75 mcg versus 100 mcg) in patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. A total of 240 ASA physical status II patients schedule for elective cesarean delivery were enrolled and randomly assigned into two parallel groups. Patients received either 75 mcg or 100 mcg of intrathecal morphine as part of a standardized spinal anesthesia technique using local anesthetic. Randomization was performed using a predefined allocation method, and both patients and outcome assessors were blinded to group assignment. Perioperative management was standardized across both groups to minimize confounding variables. Postoperative pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours following surgery. The primary outcome was VAS pain score at 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included pain scores at earlier time points, requirement for rescue analgesia, incidence of opioid-related adverse effects (nausea, vomiting, pruritus), and neonatal outcomes assessed by Apgar scores. The objetive of this study was to determinethe optimal intrathecal morphine dose that provides effective postoperative analgesia while minimizing adverse effects in the obstetric population. The study was conducted in accordance with institutional ethical standards and approved by the corresponding ethics committee.

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Conditions studied

  • Postoperative Pain
  • Cesarean Section
  • Obstetric Anesthesia

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Keywords

  • intrathecal morphine
  • spinal anesthesia
  • cesarean delivery
  • postoperative analgesia
  • opioid side effects
  • visual analog scale
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In context

Pain, Postoperative

5,640 studies on the registry are indexed under Pain, Postoperative; 1,230 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 240 is above the median of 75 across 4,821 interventional studies indexed under Pain, Postoperative.

Browse Pain, Postoperative studies →

Lead sponsor

Hospital Universitario de Caracas is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 45 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Pregnant women scheduled for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia.
  • Age between 18 and 45 years.
  • II
  • Singleton term pregnancy.
  • Ability to provide written .

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • to spinal anesthesia.
  • Known allergy or to morphine or opioids.
  • Chronic opioid use or opioid dependence.
  • Significant systemic disease (ASA more or equal to III).
  • Pregnancy complications (e.g., preeclampsia, eclampsia).
  • more than 40 kg/m2.
  • Infection at the puncture site.
  • Coagulopathy or anticoagulant therapy.
  • Refusal to participate.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

ASA physical status

The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
240 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intrathecal Morphine 75 mcg

    Participants receive a single intrathecal dose of 75 mcg morphine during spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery.

    Drug: Intrathecal Morphine

  • Experimental
    Intrathecal Morphine 100 mcg

    Participants receive a single intrathecal dose of 100 mcg morphine during spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery.

    Drug: Intrathecal Morphine

Interventions

  • Intrathecal administration of preservative-free morphine sulfate at doses of 75 mcg or 100 mcg as part of spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean delivery. The drug is administered once at the time the spinal anesthesia to provide postoperative analgesia.

    Also known as: Morphine sulfate

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Postoperative pain intensity at 24 hours

    Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS, 0-10), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates worst imaginable pain. Measurements will be recorded at 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours after surgery. The primary endpoint is the VAS score at 24 hours.

    Time frame: 24 hours after cesarean delivery

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total opioid consumption within 24 horas

    Total supplemental opioid requirement (e.g., tramadol or morphine equivalents) during the first 24 hours postoperatively.

    Time frame: 0 - 24 hours after surgery

  2. Incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)

    Number of patients experiencing nausea and/or vomiting requiring treatment.

    Time frame: 0 - 24 hours after surgery.

  3. Incidence of pruritus

    Number of patients reporting clinically significant itching requiring treatment.

    Time frame: 0 - 24 hours after surgery.

  4. Time to first rescue analgesia

    Time elapsed from spinal anesthesia to first request for additional analgesia.

    Time frame: 0 - 24 hours after surgery.

  5. Neonatal outcome

    Apgar scores assessed at 1 and 5 minutes after birth

    Time frame: at birth (1 and 5 minutes)

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Study locations

1 site
  • Hospital Universitario de Caracas
    Caracas, Miranda 1040, Venezuela
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — Individual participant data (IPD) sharing has not yet been determined. Data may be shared upon reasonable request after study completion, subject to institutional approval, ethical considerations, and data protection regulations.

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Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Jan 2023 to primary completion in Jun 2024, 17 months.

Of 531 non-industry phase 4 interventional studies under Pain, Postoperative, half reached primary completion within 16 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 32. This study's 17 months is close to that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 541 studies reached it within 16 months; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 32.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Apr 1, 2026
First posted
Apr 8, 2026
StartActual
Jan 7, 2023
Primary completionActual
Jun 15, 2024
CompletionActual
Jul 17, 2024
Last update
Apr 8, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 8, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07516717
Lead sponsor
Hospital Universitario de Caracas
Responsible party
Joseph Alejandro Veraza Almeida (Chief of Operating Room And Anesthesiologist, Hospital Universitario de Caracas) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 8, 2026
Start date
Jan 7, 2023
Primary completion
Jun 15, 2024
Completion
Jul 17, 2024
Last update
Apr 8, 2026

Study contacts

Joseph a Veraza, Md
principal investigator · Hospital Universitario de Caracas

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Discussion

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Studies of the drug tested here: Morphine

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