Clinical Research Directory

A Multimedia Presentation to Augment the Informed Consent Process for Anesthesia for Patients Undergoing Scheduled Caesarian Delivery

The informed consent process is an important part of any surgical and anesthetic intervention. It is also perhaps the most intellectually demanding portion of interacting with the healthcare system for patients. Competent patients have full autonomy over which treatments they receive, and making an informed choice about the decision to undergo a treatment requires at minimum a discussion of the proposed intervention, its risks and benefits, and alternatives to the proposed intervention. The objective is to improve the anesthesia informed consent process for patients undergoing elective Caesarean delivery through the use of a pre-recorded audiovisual presentation that discusses the logistical aspects of perioperative care and the risks and benefits of anesthesia which is provided to patients prior to meeting their anesthesiologist. The hypothesis is that the use of an audiovisual presentation which explains the purpose and nature of anesthesia for Caesarean delivery provided to the patient at least 24 hours prior to their procedure will result in a 10% increase in the effectiveness of risk communication and treatment decision making as measured by the Combined Outcome Measure for Risk Communication and Treatment Decision Making Effectiveness (COMRADE) tool.

The Effect of Presence of Father in the Operating Room on Quality of Recovery of the Parturient

The presence of a partner to support the mother during cesarean and vaginal deliveries is a well-established practice in most countries worldwide. It is evident that allowing the partner into the operating room during a cesarean section provides psychosocial benefits for both the mother and the partner. This study aims to investigate the effect of the presence of partner in the operating room on quality of recovery of parturients at the postoperative period.

Single- vs Double-Layer Cesarean Scar Repair and Myometrial Thickness

Cesarean delivery (CD) is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide, with a rising incidence particularly in high-income countries. Although often life-saving, cesarean delivery carries both short- and long-term maternal risks. Early complications include infection, hemorrhage, and thromboembolism, while inadequate uterine healing can lead to future complications such as uterine rupture and placenta accreta spectrum disorders. Additionally, cesarean scars may result in pregnancy complications, isthmocele formation, postmenstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, and dysmenorrhea. This highlights the need for optimization of the surgical technique. Despite increasing cesarean rates, there is no consensus on the optimal uterine closure method. Techniques vary in terms of the number of layers, suture locking style, and inclusion of the endometrium, and their comparative effectiveness in reducing scar defects remains unclear. Some previous studies have reported increased uterine rupture risk with single-layer locked sutures and better healing with double-layer closure, while others found no significant difference in scar outcomes. This study aims to investigate the effects of single- versus double-layer cesarean scar closure on myometrial thickness and its clinical implications.

Efficacy and Safety of Intrathecal Morphine for Postoperative Pain Management Following Planned Caesarean Section

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if morphine added to the spinal anaesthesia can improve postoperative pain treatment for patients undergoing caesarean section, without increasing the risk of serious adverse events in mother and baby. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the treatment effective in preventing postoperative pain? * Is the treatment safe for both mother and baby? Participants will be given a normal spinal anaesthesia with addition of either morphine or sodium chloride (inactive substance). All participants will receive standard postoperative pain treatment, including morphine tablets as needed. Researchers will collect data from the electronic medical record and ask the participants to fill out questionnaires about pain levels and possible side effects.

The Impact of Virtual Reality Glasses on Maternal Satisfaction and Postpartum Comfort in Cesarean Sections Performed Under Spinal Anesthesia

Due to the stressful nature of cesarean birth, it is important that the use of virtual reality (VR) glasses is both feasible and effective. While wearing VR glasses, the distraction effect can reduce women's focus on pain and the surgical procedure itself. Furthermore, VR applications have been shown to increase women's satisfaction with the birth experience. This study will be conducted as a randomized controlled trial. A total of 96 participants will be included, with 48 assigned to the intervention group and 48 to the control group. The intervention group will consist of women undergoing repeat cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. During the procedure, participants in the intervention group will watch nature videos with sound through VR glasses. The VR application will be paused when the baby is born to allow for initial neonatal care and skin-to-skin contact. After skin-to-skin contact has been established, the VR application will resume and continue until the completion of the suturing process. Subsequently, once the women are transferred to the ward, the "Personal Information Form," the "Postpartum Comfort Scale," and the "Cesarean Birth Satisfaction Scale for Women Under Spinal Anesthesia," developed by the researcher, will be administered at an appropriate time. This study is expected to support healthcare professionals in integrating VR technology into childbirth practices by providing insights into women's experiences with this intervention. In this way, the study aims to reduce negative emotions experienced during cesarean birth, support the postpartum recovery process, and enhance overall patient satisfaction. Moreover, the findings will contribute to improving the feasibility of digital innovations in healthcare, enhancing the quality of birth experiences, and strengthening the approach to patient-centered care.

Maternal Hypothermia After Caesarean Section - Implications for Postoperative Recovery

The aim of the study is to assess patient reported outcomes after caesarean section using self report questionnaire.

Butorphanol for Pain Relief After Cesarean Section: A Retrospective Study

This study explored the association between postoperative functional recovery and the formula of analgesic pumps as well as other related factors (such as age, intraoperative blood loss, operation duration, etc.) by retrospectively analyzing the clinical data of patients undergoing cesarean section in the main campus and branches of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from September 2024 to June 2025. The value of this study lies in: 1) providing a basis for optimizing the postoperative analgesia plan after cesarean section. 2) To provide references for the formulation of personalized analgesia strategies in clinical practice, improve the postoperative recovery quality of patients, promote the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery, and reduce the medical burden.

Insufficient Regional Anesthesia for Cesarean Section: Mothers' Experiences A Qualitative Study

In Denmark, approximately 20% of all children are born via cesarean section (C-section), making it the most common surgical procedure (also internationally). The recommended anesthesia for cesarean sections is regional anesthesia (spinal or epidural, "spinal anesthesia"), as it has several advantages: the woman is awake and experiences the delivery of her child, she maintains spontaneous breathing. Furthermore, regional anesthesia can contribute to early postoperative pain management to some extent. With spinal anesthesia, most women feel pressure and touch but no pain during the cesarean section. However, some women do experience pain during the procedure, necessitating further intervention or ultimately a change in anesthetic form. If inadequate anesthesia is detected before the surgery begins, one may choose to administer renewed regional anesthesia (typically an epidural). However, if the woman first experiences pain after the surgery has commenced, it can be necessary to place her under general anesthesia for the remainder of the procedure. Experience shows that this process can be challenging, and there are frequent examples in clinical practice of inappropriate courses of action, where women have experienced unacceptable pain during their cesarean sections without being placed under general anesthesia. The consequences of inadequate anesthesia for cesarean sections can be quite significant for women, including impaired bonding with the child, poorer establishment of breastfeeding, increased risk of postpartum reactions and post-traumatic stress. The aim of this study is to investigate how women experience insufficient regional anesthesia during cesarean sections, in cases where the regional anesthesia was not converted to general anesthesia. The focus is on exploring the factors that contribute positively and negatively to the woman's experience in this situation, and investigate if any recommendations for how to handle the situation can be extrapolated from the women's experiences. Method Qualitative study. Inclusion criteria: * Adult women undergoing elective or emergency cesarean delivery within the last 2 years, with the experience of pain during surgery * Regional (spinal or epidural or combined epidural-spinal) anesthesia NOT converted to general anesthesia Exclusion criteria: * Does not speak Danish or English * Does not wish to participate Relevant women will be invited to contact us through public post on social media. If a woman responds to the post, she will be offered further information about the project, both verbally via telephone and in writing sent by email. Women can also be invited to participate if encountered by a project-group member during clinical work. Participants will be invited to an interview via telephone. This will take place as a semi-structured interview, initiated with open questions and concluded with a few more specific questions. At the end of the interview, a screening for post-traumatic stress will be conducted using the PTSD-8 tool. Interviews will be recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. The interview guide will be developed with input from the entire project group and with participation from three mothers who have previously experienced insufficient regional anesthesia during a cesarean section. The guide will be pilot-tested on 2-3 patients after cesarean section. The interview guide may be adjusted during the study, if necessary. The number of women required to participate before a sufficient amount of information is obtained (as no new information is expected from subsequent interviews) is not known in advance; however, it is estimated that 20 women will need to participate. However, the sample size is also defined by convenience, as the investigators do not know how many women it will be possible to establish contact with via the Facebook post and through clinical work. If too few women (e.g. \<15) are included within the first two months, the investigators will make a new public posting and expand the period of inclusion to concern cesarean sections within the last 5 years instead of 2 years. Baseline data regarding the mother and the cesarean section will be collected by asking the women during the scheduled interview, and therefore access to medical records are not necessary. Qualitative data will also be gathered through the interview, conducted as a semi-structured interview based on an interview guide. Data will be entered into SurveyXact software, where it will be securely stored. Data will be handled using descriptive statistics. Interview data will be analyzed using content analysis. Nvivo software will be used for managing and coding qualitative data.

The Effect of Su Jok Application on Pain, Anxiety and Comfort Levels After Cesarean Section

Objective: To determine the effect of Su Jok application on pain, anxiety and comfort level after cesarean section. The research will be conducted as a randomized controlled experimental study with pretest-posttest control group

St. John's Wort Oil for Wound Healing and Pain After Cesarean Section

Cesarean section refers to the surgical procedure in which the fetus is delivered via an incision, typically performed when vaginal delivery is not possible due to high-risk conditions. In recent years, the rate of cesarean deliveries has increased significantly. The quality of treatment and care is crucial in ensuring proper surgical wound healing following cesarean birth. Various new methods and products have been developed for wound healing and care in recent years, some of which are derived from herbal sources. The limitations of pharmacological methods used in the postpartum period, such as treatment failure, concerns about potential harm to the mother and infant, adverse side effects, negative impact on breastfeeding, emergence of resistant microorganisms, and ineffectiveness of current antibiotics, have led individuals to seek alternative natural remedies. Hypericum perforatum (commonly known as St. John's Wort) is frequently used in the postpartum period due to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This study aims to examine the effects of Hypericum perforatum on wound healing and pain in women following cesarean delivery.

The Efficacy of Intrathecal Morphine Versus Intrathecal Morphine-Dexamethasone Combination in Cesarean Delivery

The Efficacy of Intrathecal Morphine Versus Intrathecal Morphine+Dexamethasone Combination added to bupivacaine in elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia

Misoprostol Before Caesarean Section

The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy of Misoprostol before elective cesarean section in pregnant women with gestational age less than 38 weeks for preventing the occurrence of neonatal respiratory morbidity.

Postoperative Pain Management of Caesarean Section

Caesarean section is one of the most frequent surgeries causing severe postoperative pain. Poor management of acute pain can contribute to postoperative complications, late recovery and the development of chronic pain. Moreover, it had been demonstrated that the intensity of postpartum pain is associated with depression. It is imperative to find out appropriate methods of postpartum pain alleviation. Currently, a lot of analgesic drugs and methods have been developed and used in clinical practice, such as patient-controlled analgesia, extended-release analgesics and multimodal analgesia. This prospective cohort study is aimed to investigate the outcome of each postoperative analgesic method used in caesarean section.

Effects of Acupressure Applied Before Cesarean Delivery on Anxiety, Physiological Parameters and Fetal Heart Rate

Cesarean section is the most commonly preferred surgical method in cases where vaginal birth is not possible or complications that may endanger the health of the mother and baby occur. Cesarean section rates are increasing worldwide. According to the latest data (2010-2018) from 154 countries covering 94.5% of live births in the world, 21.1% of women have cesarean section births and it is estimated that this rate will increase to 28.5% by 2030. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cesarean section rate in the USA, which was 32.1% in 2022, increased to 32.4% in 2023. When the cesarean section rates of the Turkey Demographic Health Survey (TDHS) are examined, the rate, which was 7% in 1993, increased to 52% in 2018, an increase of 45% is observed. In the TRNC, this rate was 11.1% in 1981, but in 2017 this rate increased by an average of 7 times, reaching 72.5%. Pregnant women tend to have cesarean sections because they are affected by the risks that will occur during birth, negative birth stories told among the public, and painful birth scenes seen on social media. Studies have shown that despite the high rates of cesarean sections in pregnant women's birth methods, a significant increase in women's anxiety levels is observed. While waiting for the surgery, pre-operative anxiety, fear of the procedure, etc. are more common than other feelings and symptoms.Studies have also shown that anxiety increases in patient rooms, the night before surgery, and when moving to the operating table. In a study conducted by Lopez, the most important causes of preoperative anxiety were listed as fear of the hospital environment (35%), fear of surgery (33%), fear of anesthesia (45%), and unawareness of the surgery (45%). Concerns about the success of the operation (29.3%), fear of postoperative prognosis (19.5%), and surgical complications (11.4%) are the most common causes of preoperative anxiety. High levels of anxiety experienced before surgery cause increased heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen consumption during surgery. Controlling and managing preoperative anxiety is one of the most important goals of nursing care worldwide, as in cesarean cases. Mothers need to relax mentally and physically after cesarean sections so that they can care for their babies after birth. A common way to control preoperative anxiety is to use sedatives, but these medications can cause side effects. Therefore, acupressure, which is a non-invasive, low-cost, uncomplicated and non-pharmacological method due to fewer complications, can be used to reduce preoperative anxiety. Acupressure is the application of pressure to stimulate acupoints and meridian lines using an object or fingers, without the use of needles. Acupressure is a simple treatment approach and can be applied by nurses or patients who have received the necessary training, because it is simple and does not require any equipment.

Impact of Delivery Method Elite Athletes.

Labor itself can occur spontaneously vaginally, with the help of extraction methods, or via cesarean section. It can also be planned or awaited for the spontaneous onset of uterine contractions. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages regarding potential damage to the pelvic floor and its stability in vaginal delivery or extraction methods, or concerning the stability of the abdominal wall with subsequent wound healing after a cesarean section. The aim of the study is to retrospectively and prospectively determine the impact of the method of delivery on the performance of female athletes through a questionnaire study. Investigators would like to answer the question of whether cesarean delivery means a later return to training for athletes, whether pregnancy is problematic for female athletes in relation to their BMI, and whether pregnancy often signifies the end of a sports career for female athletes. The questionnaire also includes questions regarding overall women's health-menstrual cycle, incontinence, and mental health of female athletes. Prospectively, the questionnaire will be sent to all female athletes who meet representation limits once a year and for two years after retiring from the national team.

Effect of Targeted Mobilization Program

This study was planned to evaluate the effect of early mobilization training given to patients undergoing cesarean section in the preoperative period and targeted mobilization program applied after the surgery, on preventing gastrointestinal complications that may develop after the surgical intervention and participating in breastfeeding and baby care. The research will be conducted in experimental design. The research will begin after receiving written permission from Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University Ethics Committee, Niğde Provincial Health Directorate and Ömer Halisdemir Training and Research Hospital. Pregnant women who are between the ages of 18-35, who are at least a primary school graduate, who gave birth at term, who have a live singleton pregnancy, and who do not have a risky pregnancy history (DVT, thromboembolism) will be included in the study. Before starting the research, the study will begin by obtaining institutional permissions and written permission from the pregnant women. Personal Information Form prepared in line with the literature, postoperative gastrointestinal functions information form, postoperative abdominal distension diagnosis form, walking chart, VAS, LATCH Breastfeeding Diagnosis and Evaluation Scale and Breastfeeding Information Form data collection forms will be used to collect data. The data will be evaluated on a computer using the IBM SPSS Statistics 24 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows) package program. Appropriate statistical analyzes will be used to evaluate the data

Information and Progressive Relaxation Exercises

This study was planned to determine the effect of information and progressive relaxation exercises before planned cesarean section on surgical fear, anxiety, postpartum comfort and pain levels.The research will be conducted in experimental design. The research will begin after receiving written permission from Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University Ethics Committee, Niğde Provincial Health Directorate and Ömer Halisdemir Training and Research Hospital. Pregnant women who are between the ages of 18-35, who are on Primigravida, who apply for a planned cesarean section, who have a live single pregnancy, and who are planned for spinal anesthesia will be included in the study. Before starting the research, the study will begin by obtaining institutional permissions and written permission from the pregnant women. Pre-Assessment Form, Personal Information Form, State Anxiety Scale, Surgical Fear Scale, Postpartum Comfort Scale will be used to collect data. The data will be evaluated on a computer using the IBM SPSS Statistics 24 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows) package program. Appropriate statistical analyzes will be used to evaluate the data.

The Effect of Two Methods Applied to Mothers on Insufficient Milk Perception, Breastfeeding Motivation, Fatigue, Anxiety

Although the World Health Organization predicts the caesarean section rate to be 10-15%, the caesarean section rate in Turkey is 52%, more than three times the international standard. It is very important to eliminate the physical and psychosocial problems experienced by women during this period, to encourage breastfeeding, and at the same time to protect and improve maternal health. Maintaining the mother's well-being after cesarean section and supporting pharmacological treatment with non-pharmacological practices have an important place in nursing care. Therefore, this study will examine the effects of oxytocin massage and reflexology applied to mothers in the post-cesarean period on the perception of insufficient milk, breastfeeding motivation, fatigue, anxiety and uterine involution.