Clinical Evaluation of the EpiFaith™ Syringe in Epidural Pain Management

Clinical Evaluation of the EpiFaith™ Syringe in Epidural Pain Management: A Prospective, Open-Label, Non-Randomized Comparative Study Versus Conventional Loss-of-Resistance Technique

This study evaluates a new medical device called the EpiFaith™ Syringe, which is designed to help clinicians more accurately identify the epidural space during pain management procedures. The epidural space is a narrow area near the spine where medication is delivered to treat chronic pain conditions. Finding this space correctly is a critical step in procedures such as epidural steroid injections, spinal cord stimulator placement, and minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD).

Currently, clinicians locate the epidural space using a method called loss-of-resistance (LOR), which relies on the feel of a syringe plunger as a needle is advanced toward the epidural space. This technique depends on the clinician's experience and touch, and can sometimes result in multiple needle attempts or an incorrect signal that the epidural space has been reached when it has not.

The EpiFaith™ Syringe is designed to provide a clear visual signal, called the Faith Signal, at the moment the epidural space is entered, reducing reliance on touch alone. The device is used with standard epidural needles and does not require additional equipment or significant changes to routine procedure workflow.

This study will enroll 100 adults scheduled for a clinically indicated epidural pain procedure at Innovative Pain Treatment Solutions in Temecula or San Diego, California. Participants will be assigned to have their procedure performed using either the EpiFaith™ Syringe or a standard LOR syringe. The study will compare the number of needle attempts needed to access the epidural space and the rate of false signals between the two methods. Safety and patient-reported pain outcomes will also be collected for approximately one week following the procedure.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older at the time of informed consent.
• Scheduled to undergo a clinically indicated interventional pain management procedure as part of routine clinical care at the study site.
• Planned procedure requires epidural space localization using the loss-of-resistance technique and is compatible with use of either a conventional loss-of-resistance syringe or the EpiFaith™ syringe, in the judgment of the treating clinician.
• Eligible procedure types include cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or caudal epidural procedures; minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD) procedures when epidural access or localization is required; and spinal cord stimulation (SCS) trial epidural access procedures.
• Able and willing to provide written informed consent before any study-specific data collection.
• Able and willing to comply with post-procedure follow-up assessments through approximately 1 week after the procedure, including telephone or telehealth follow-up when applicable.
• For participants receiving anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy, the treating clinician must determine that the participant can safely undergo the planned epidural procedure according to standard institutional practice and applicable neuraxial anticoagulation guidance.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to provide written informed consent independently, including adults who require consent by a legally authorized representative.
• Known contraindication to the planned epidural procedure, including active infection at the puncture site, uncontrolled coagulopathy, or anticoagulant or antiplatelet status that precludes the planned procedure in the judgment of the treating clinician.
• Known hypersensitivity or contraindication to any standard-of-care medication, contrast agent, or procedural material required for the planned epidural procedure, where such contraindication precludes the procedure.
• Participation in another interventional clinical trial that, in the investigator's judgment, would confound interpretation of study endpoints.
• Any medical, anatomic, procedural, or clinical condition that, in the investigator's judgment, would make study participation unsafe or not in the participant's best interest.
• Pregnancy, unless the epidural procedure is clinically indicated and permitted under the enrolling site's standard clinical practice and IRB-approved procedures.
• Unwillingness or inability to complete required study assessments through approximately 1 week after the procedure.