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Not yet recruitingNCT07793760Updated Aug 31, 2026

Dexamethasone Versus Ondansetron for Preventing Post-Spinal Hypotension in Preeclampsia

A Phase 4 interventional study of Dexamethasone and Ondansetron in Preeclampsia, Spinal Anesthesia-Induced Hypotension and Cesarean Section, sponsored by Assiut University. Not yet recruiting. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-31.

Sponsored by Assiut University · Phase 4, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
110
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 40 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

This study compares the efficacy and safety of intravenous dexamethasone versus intravenous ondansetron in preventing low blood pressure (hypotension) following spinal anesthesia in pregnant women with preeclampsia undergoing scheduled cesarean delivery.

Spinal anesthesia is the preferred anesthetic method for cesarean delivery, but it frequently causes a sudden drop in maternal blood pressure. In patients with preeclampsia, post-spinal hypotension can compromise blood flow to the placenta and vital organs. While traditional vasopressor medications are used to restore blood pressure, non-adrenergic prophylactic agents such as dexamethasone and ondansetron may help maintain hemodynamic stability through different physiological pathways.

Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either intravenous dexamethasone (8 mg) or intravenous ondansetron (4 mg) 15 minutes prior to the initiation of spinal anesthesia. Blood pressure, heart rate, vasopressor requirements, optic nerve sheath diameter, and maternal and neonatal outcomes will be monitored throughout the surgery and during the immediate postoperative period.

02

Conditions studied

  • Preeclampsia
  • Spinal Anesthesia-Induced Hypotension
  • Cesarean Section

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Keywords

  • Dexamethasone
  • Ondansetron
  • Post-Spinal Hypotension
  • Preeclampsia
  • Spinal Anesthesia
  • Cesarean Delivery
  • Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter
  • Vasopressors
03

In context

Pre-Eclampsia

916 studies on the registry are indexed under Pre-Eclampsia; 243 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 110 is close to the median of 110 across 480 interventional studies indexed under Pre-Eclampsia.

Browse Pre-Eclampsia studies →

Lead sponsor

Assiut University is the lead sponsor of 5,078 studies on the registry; 2,178 are open to participants now.

Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 40 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 aged 18 to 40 years.
  • (ASA) physical status III.
  • Diagnosed with preeclampsia (new onset of hypertension ≥140/90 mmHg with proteinuria occurring after 20 weeks of gestation according to ACOG and ISSHP guidelines).
  • Scheduled for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Peripartum bleeding.
  • Obesity ( ≥40 kg/m²).
  • Coagulation disorders ( count \< 75,000/μL).
  • Neurological disorders.
  • Previous or current systemic therapy.
  • Known cardiac disease.
  • History of diabetes mellitus.
  • Renal dysfunction (serum creatinine > 2 mg/dL).
  • Hepatic dysfunction (serum liver enzymes > 2 times the ).
  • Known to dexamethasone, ondansetron, or any component of the study medications.
  • Emergency cesarean delivery.
  • Known fetal congenital anomalies.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(6)

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.

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.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
110 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Group D: Dexamethasone

    Patients in Group D will receive intravenous dexamethasone 8 mg diluted with 0.9% normal saline to a total volume of 10 mL, administered slowly over approximately one minute, 15 minutes before the induction of spinal anaesthesia.

    Drug: Dexamethasone

  • Active comparator
    Group O: Ondansetron

    Patients in Group O will receive intravenous ondansetron 4 mg diluted with 0.9% normal saline to a total volume of 10 mL, administered slowly over approximately one minute, 15 minutes before the induction of spinal anaesthesia.

    Drug: Ondansetron

Interventions

  • Intravenous dexamethasone 8 mg diluted with 0.9% normal saline to a total volume of 10 mL, administered slowly over approximately one minute, 15 minutes before the induction of spinal anesthesia.

  • Intravenous ondansetron 4 mg diluted with 0.9% normal saline to a total volume of 10 mL, administered slowly over approximately one minute, 15 minutes before the induction of spinal anesthesia.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of post-spinal hypotension

    Number of participants with a decrease in systolic blood pressure below 80% of baseline.

    Time frame: 1 hour

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 31, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07793760
Lead sponsor
Assiut University
Responsible party
Mohamed Amin Abdelhamid Aboughadir (Resident of Anaesthesia, ICU and Pain Management, Assiut University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 31, 2026
Start date
Oct 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Oct 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Nov 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 31, 2026

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 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: Dexamethasone

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