Response Patterns to the Electric Stimulation of Epidural Catheters in Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Uniport Versus Multiport Catheters

摘要

BACKGROUND: The transcatheter electric stimulation test (Tsui test) can be performed at the bedside to confirm the correct placement of a wire-reinforced epidural catheter within the epidural space. The most commonly observed motor response with a uniport epidural catheter placed in the lumbar area is the unilateral contraction of the lower limbs. Wire-reinforced multi port catheters have recently been introduced into clinical practice; however, the characteristics of the Tsui test with such catheters are unknown. We designed a randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that the incidence of a bilateral response to the Tsui test would be higher with a multiport catheter, with all other characteristics of the test remaining unchanged.