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Desflurane or Propofol Anesthesia in Elderly Obese Patients Undergoing Total Knee Replacement

Desflurane or Propofol Anesthesia in Elderly Obese Patients Undergoing Total Knee Replacement: A Pilot Assessment of Short-term and Long-term Differences in Outcome

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01270620
Enrollment
100
Registered
2011-01-05
Start date
2010-12-31
Completion date
2015-07-31
Last updated
2015-10-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Arthritis, Obesity

Keywords

elderly obese

Brief summary

You are invited to participate in a research study assessing your mental status in the first days after your surgery and how you will be doing in the 2 years following the surgery. The investigators hope to learn more about the incidence of postoperative confusion and a possible relation with 2 anesthesia techniques that are routinely used. The first one is an anesthesia technique that uses the inhaled anesthetic gas desflurane and the second one is an anesthesia technique that uses the anesthetic propofol administered by infusion in a vein. The investigators are also looking to see if there is a relationship between anesthesia technique and cardiovascular outcomes. You were selected as a possible participant in this study because at your age this phenomenon appears to have a greater incidence.

Detailed description

Trial Objectives: This will be a randomized, prospective, single-center, assessor blinded pilot study comparing two different anesthesia techniques in 100 elderly obese patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty. Endpoints: * The incidence of postoperative delirium as measured by the Confusion Assessment Score. Confusion assessment score will be administered at baseline, one hour after arrival in the post anesthesia care unit and 6-8, 24 and 48 hrs postoperatively. * Cognitive function as measured by Test for Attentional Performance, Digit-Symbol-Substitution Test, Recal of Digit Span , Well-being Test BF-S, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Trail Making Test A and B. Cognitive function tests will be administered at baseline, 6-8 and 48 hrs post operatively. Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction is defined as a 20% decline of the baseline values. Intraoperative * Sensory block (femoral) * Blood pressure * Heart rate * Patient state index values * Degree of neuromuscular blockade * Esophageal temperature * End tidal concentration of CO2 * End tidal concentration of desflurane * Amount of vasopressors (ephedrine or phenylephrine) * Amount of intravascular fluid administration * Dose and mean infusion rates of all IV drugs (propofol) * Duration of anesthesia * Duration of surgery * Time to spontaneous breathing after desflurane/propofol discontinuation * Time to eye opening after desflurane/propofol discontinuation * Time to tracheal extubation after desflurane/propofol discontinuation * Time to following command after desflurane/propofol discontinuation Post operative * Nausea and vomiting: one hour after arrival in the post anesthesia care unit and 6-8, 24 and 48 hrs postoperatively * Pain visual analogue score measured one hour after arrival in the post anesthesia care unit and 6-8, 24 and 48 hrs postoperatively * Recovery room time * Amount of local anesthetics (ropivacaine) * Amount of opioids (Patient controlled analgesia hydromorphone) Cardiovascular * B-type natriuretic peptide measured preoperatively and on postoperative days 1 and 2 * N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide measured preoperatively and on postoperative days 1 and 2 * Troponin I measured preoperatively and on postoperative days 1 and 2 * Patients will be followed by a blinded investigator for a 2 year period to record the development of cardiac complications defined by a broad composite that included cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction. Cardiac composite including: all-cause mortality, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, new atrial or ventricular dysrhythmia requiring treatment, and cerebrovascular insult. Protocol This will be a randomized, prospective, single-center, assessor blinded study comparing two different anesthesia techniques in 100 elderly obese patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty. We expect to enroll all patients in a 2 year period. The study will be performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki principles, and written informed consent will be obtained from each patient. Preoperatively baseline values will be obtained for the cardiovascular, mental status, respiratory and pain outcome measures. Mental status: During their preoperative visit patients will be given the neuropsychological tests in the following order: 1. Confusion Assessment Method . The confusion assessment method is a screening instrument for delirium consisting of four clinical criteria: (1) acute onset and fluctuating course, (2) inattention, (3) disorganized thinking, and (4) altered level of consciousness. For a person to be considered delirious, both the first and the second criteria and either the third or the fourth criteria have to be present. The confusion assessment method has a high inter-observer reliability (0.8 -1.0), a sensitivity of 94-100%, and a specificity of 90-95%. 2. Modified Mini-Mental State Examination. This extended measure of general cognition was developed to overcome shortcomings of the traditional Mini-Mental State Examination score, specifically its ceiling effects and narrow range of possible scores. The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination will be administered at the preoperative visit to assess the baseline cognitive function of the patient. 3. Computerized Test for Attentional Performance , Digit-Symbol-Substitution Test, Recall of Digit Span, Well-being Test BF-S, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Trail Making Test A and B. Patients will be visited for the first 2 days after surgery or until discharge, whichever came first, and the confusion assessment method will be administered one hour after arrival in the post anesthesia care unit and 6-8, 24 and 48 hrs postoperatively to determine whether the patient is experiencing delirium. Each patient will be interviewed by the same trained research assistant before surgery and during the postoperative visits. We will define the occurrence of delirium as the patient meeting the confusion assessment method criteria for delirium on any of the postoperative assessments. If a patient is positive for delirium, a second member of the research team will be consulted to verify the diagnosis. Cognitive function tests will be administered, 6-8 and 48 hrs post operatively. Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction is defined as a 20% decline of the baseline values. Cardiovascular: Preoperative testing will include 12-lead ECG. Blood samples for Natriuretic peptide levels and N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide and Troponin I will be obtained at the time of the admission and on postoperative day 1 and day 2. Plasma NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide will be determined using the Elecsys proB-type natriuretic peptide sandwich immunoassay on an Elecsys 2010 (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland). Two cut offs for NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide will be selected before the analyses, 300 pg/ml and 600 pg/ml, with a value of less than 300 pg/ml shown to be optimal for ruling out heart failure as a predictor. B-type natriuretic peptide will be determined using immunoradiometric assay kit. Values of B-type natriuretic peptide (pg/mL) 31.0 ± 2.4 are considered normal for patients over 65 years old. After discharge from the hospital patients will be followed blindly for a 2 year period to record the development of cardiac complications defined by a broad composite that included cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction. Cardiac composite including: all-cause mortality, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, new atrial or ventricular dysrhythmia requiring treatment, and cerebrovascular insult. Information will be collected at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after surgery. Outcome measures and postoperative complications including nausea and vomiting will be recorded by an assessor blinded to the treatment allocation. Patients will be randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups on the day of surgery using a computer generated assignment. Group D will receive desflurane and group P will receive propofol.

Interventions

DRUGpropofol

comparison of the incidence in delirium and post-operative cognitive dysfunction from propofol and desflurane in patients under general anesthesia

DRUGDesflurane

comparison of the incidence in delirium and post-operative cognitive dysfunction from propofol and desflurane in patients under general anesthesia

Sponsors

Baxter Healthcare Corporation
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Pedro Paulo Tanaka
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age \> 65 years old * Body mass index \> 30 kg/m2 * Undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty surgery * American society of anesthesiology classification II-III

Exclusion criteria

* Patient refusal to participate in the study * Patient refusal or failure of regional block * Patients with preexisting neuro-cognitive disorders * Known intolerance to any of the drugs to be used according to the study protocol

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Assessment of Delirium48 hoursThe primary end point was the incidence of postoperative delirium as measured by the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM).
Recall of Digit SpanChange > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery• The Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised is a test that requires subjects to repeat a series of digits that have been verbally presented to them both forward and, in a later independent test, reverse order. It measures attention and working memory
Digit Symbol Substitution TestChange > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery• The Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) measures attention, working memory, sustained visual attention and psychomotor speed. Subjects are given a table that pairs digits and symbols, and asked to decipher a code using the table, completing as many as possible in 90 seconds. The DSST has been found to be more sensitive than other tests to changes in high-levels of cognition
Trail Making Part AChange > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery• Trail Making Test is an executive measure of sequencing and cognitive flexibility. Trail A requires the subject to rapidly sequence a straightforward series. The scoring for this test is the time in seconds required for completion of the test
Trail Making Part BChange > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery• Trail Making Test is an executive measure of sequencing and cognitive flexibility. Trail B is a more difficult cognitive flexibility task requiring the subject to follow a sequential pattern while shifting cognitive sets and reflects executive functioning, although other cognitive abilities, such as psychomotor speed and visual scanning, are necessary for successful completion of the task. The scoring for this test is the time in seconds required for completion of the test

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Recovery Room Timefirst day
B-type Natriuretic PeptideChange from Baseline to day one
N-terminal proBNPChange from baseline to day one
Troponin I2 daysPatients who had troponin level \> 0.2 ng/mL
- Time to Spontaneous Breathing After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuationfirst day
ProBNPChange from baseline to post-operative day 2
Duration of SurgeryTime from Incision to closure of surgery
Duration of AnesthesiaTime from induction to extubation
Amount of Intraoperative FentanylFrom the anesthesia induction until extubation
BNPChange form baseline to post-operative day 2
- Time to Eye Opening After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuationfirst day
- Time to Tracheal Extubation After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuationfirst day
- Time to Following Command After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuationfirst day
Nausea and Vomiting48 hours

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

One hundred patients provided consented to participate in the study during June 2010 to August 2014.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Desflurane
Patients received propofol or desflurane as general anesthetic for total knee replacement. Inclusion criteria: Age \> 65 years old; BMI \> 30 kg/m2; undergoing primary total knee replacement surgery; and ASA classification II-III
50
Propofol
Patients received propofol or desflurane as general anesthetic for total knee replacement. Inclusion criteria: Age \> 65 years old; BMI \> 30 kg/m2; undergoing primary total knee replacement surgery; and ASA classification II-III
50
Total100

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject13

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPropofolDesfluraneTotal
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
50 Participants50 Participants100 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Continuous71 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.8
70 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4
70.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.6
Region of Enrollment
United States
50 participants50 participants100 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
34 Participants21 Participants55 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
16 Participants29 Participants45 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 500 / 50
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 500 / 50

Outcome results

Primary

Assessment of Delirium

The primary end point was the incidence of postoperative delirium as measured by the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM).

Time frame: 48 hours

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneAssessment of Delirium0 participants
PropofolAssessment of Delirium0 participants
Primary

Digit Symbol Substitution Test

• The Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) measures attention, working memory, sustained visual attention and psychomotor speed. Subjects are given a table that pairs digits and symbols, and asked to decipher a code using the table, completing as many as possible in 90 seconds. The DSST has been found to be more sensitive than other tests to changes in high-levels of cognition

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 48 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneDigit Symbol Substitution Test24 participants
PropofolDigit Symbol Substitution Test16 participants
Primary

Digit Symbol Substitution Test

• The Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) measures attention, working memory, sustained visual attention and psychomotor speed. Subjects are given a table that pairs digits and symbols, and asked to decipher a code using the table, completing as many as possible in 90 seconds. The DSST has been found to be more sensitive than other tests to changes in high-levels of cognition

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneDigit Symbol Substitution Test22 participants
PropofolDigit Symbol Substitution Test17 participants
Primary

Recall of Digit Span

• The Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised is a test that requires subjects to repeat a series of digits that have been verbally presented to them both forward and, in a later independent test, reverse order. It measures attention and working memory

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneRecall of Digit Span11 participants
PropofolRecall of Digit Span8 participants
Primary

Recall of Digit Span

• The Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised is a test that requires subjects to repeat a series of digits that have been verbally presented to them both forward and, in a later independent test, reverse order. It measures attention and working memory

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 48 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneRecall of Digit Span10 participants
PropofolRecall of Digit Span9 participants
Primary

Trail Making Part A

• Trail Making Test is an executive measure of sequencing and cognitive flexibility. Trail A requires the subject to rapidly sequence a straightforward series. The scoring for this test is the time in seconds required for completion of the test

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneTrail Making Part A25 participants
PropofolTrail Making Part A25 participants
Primary

Trail Making Part A

• Trail Making Test is an executive measure of sequencing and cognitive flexibility. Trail A requires the subject to rapidly sequence a straightforward series. The scoring for this test is the time in seconds required for completion of the test

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 48 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneTrail Making Part A26 participants
PropofolTrail Making Part A19 participants
Primary

Trail Making Part B

• Trail Making Test is an executive measure of sequencing and cognitive flexibility. Trail B is a more difficult cognitive flexibility task requiring the subject to follow a sequential pattern while shifting cognitive sets and reflects executive functioning, although other cognitive abilities, such as psychomotor speed and visual scanning, are necessary for successful completion of the task. The scoring for this test is the time in seconds required for completion of the test

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 6-8 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneTrail Making Part B29 participants
PropofolTrail Making Part B22 participants
Primary

Trail Making Part B

Trail Making Test is an executive measure of sequencing and cognitive flexibility. Trail B is a more difficult cognitive flexibility task requiring the subject to follow a sequential pattern while shifting cognitive sets and reflects executive functioning, although other cognitive abilities, such as psychomotor speed and visual scanning, are necessary for successful completion of the task. The scoring for this test is the time in seconds required for completion of the test

Time frame: Change > 20% from baseline to 48 hours after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneTrail Making Part B29 participants
PropofolTrail Making Part B22 participants
Secondary

Amount of Intraoperative Fentanyl

Time frame: From the anesthesia induction until extubation

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneAmount of Intraoperative Fentanyl350 micrograms
PropofolAmount of Intraoperative Fentanyl350 micrograms
Secondary

BNP

Time frame: Change form baseline to post-operative day 2

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneBNP83.5 ng/L
PropofolBNP92 ng/L
Secondary

B-type Natriuretic Peptide

Time frame: Change from Baseline to day one

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneB-type Natriuretic Peptide47 ng/L
PropofolB-type Natriuretic Peptide43 ng/L
Secondary

Duration of Anesthesia

Time frame: Time from induction to extubation

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneDuration of Anesthesia137.5 minutes
PropofolDuration of Anesthesia133.5 minutes
Secondary

Duration of Surgery

Time frame: Time from Incision to closure of surgery

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneDuration of Surgery103.5 minutes
PropofolDuration of Surgery95 minutes
Secondary

Nausea and Vomiting

Time frame: 48 hours

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneNausea and Vomiting3 participants
PropofolNausea and Vomiting4 participants
Secondary

N-terminal proBNP

Time frame: Change from baseline to day one

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneN-terminal proBNP83 ng/L
PropofolN-terminal proBNP86 ng/L
Secondary

ProBNP

Time frame: Change from baseline to post-operative day 2

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneProBNP330 ng/L
PropofolProBNP311.5 ng/L
Secondary

Recovery Room Time

Time frame: first day

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
DesfluraneRecovery Room Time65 minutes
PropofolRecovery Room Time60.5 minutes
Secondary

- Time to Eye Opening After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation

Time frame: first day

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Desflurane- Time to Eye Opening After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation420 seconds
Propofol- Time to Eye Opening After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation395 seconds
Secondary

- Time to Following Command After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation

Time frame: first day

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Desflurane- Time to Following Command After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation480 seconds
Propofol- Time to Following Command After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation450 seconds
Secondary

- Time to Spontaneous Breathing After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation

Time frame: first day

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Desflurane- Time to Spontaneous Breathing After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation270 seconds
Propofol- Time to Spontaneous Breathing After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation300 seconds
Secondary

- Time to Tracheal Extubation After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation

Time frame: first day

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Desflurane- Time to Tracheal Extubation After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation420 seconds
Propofol- Time to Tracheal Extubation After Desflurane/Propofol Discontinuation526 seconds
Secondary

Troponin I

Patients who had troponin level \> 0.2 ng/mL

Time frame: 2 days

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
DesfluraneTroponin I1 participants
PropofolTroponin I0 participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026