C-Section pain pump put to the test: could it cut opioid need?

NCT ID NCT05131178

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Colorado, Denver Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at whether a continuous pain pump delivering bupivacaine (a numbing medicine) after a C-section reduces the need for stronger opioid painkillers compared to a placebo pump with salt water. One hundred pregnant women having C-sections will be randomly assigned to receive either the active drug or placebo through the pump for up to four days. The goal is to see if the bupivacaine pump alone is responsible for lower opioid use, helping improve recovery after surgery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: bupivacaine
What this could lead to: If it works, this could confirm that the bupivacaine pump is what reduces opioid use after C-sections, helping guide standard pain management.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage trial with only 100 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The placebo group also gets standard care, so the difference might be small.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Nov 2021

Expected to finish

May 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 50 years

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Pregnant patients 18 years of age or older * Patients undergoing both scheduled and unscheduled cesarean deliveries at CFCC Exclusion Criteria: * Active substance abuse (ex methamphetamines) determined by patient report, toxin screen, or screening physician's determination * Current treatment for chronic pain involving opiate receptor agonism or antagonism (i.e. suboxone, methadone, naltrexone, oxycodone) * Contraindication to neuraxial anesthesia * Known allergies to common anesthetic medications * Inability to consent to study procedures * Patient receiving general anesthesia

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cesarean section Post operative pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

C-Section pain pump put to the test: could it cut opioid need?

What the study statuses mean