Quick Epidural Top-up with Alkalinized Lidocaine for emergent caesarean delivery (QETAL study): protocol for a randomized, controlled, bicentric trial.

Background: General anesthesia in pregnant women can be associated with significant maternal and fetal morbidity. Emergency caesarean section can be performed by converting labor epidural analgesia to surgical anesthesia by injecting high-dose short-acting local anesthetics through the epidural catheter. The effectiveness and the delay to obtain surgical anesthesia depends upon the protocol used.