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CORTERAS STUDY: The Effect of Corticosteroids on Early Recovery After Major Surgery in Elderly Patients

CORTERAS STUDY: The Effect of Corticosteroids on Early Recovery After Major Surgery in Elderly Patients

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05220319
Acronym
CORTERAS
Enrollment
751
Registered
2022-02-02
Start date
2022-02-16
Completion date
2025-10-28
Last updated
2026-01-27

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

Conditions

Inflammatory Response, Weakness, Muscle

Brief summary

Major surgery induces a systemic inflammatory response, which can influence the post-operative morbidity, such as coagulation disorders and post-operative muscle weakness, hampering early recovery after surgery. Single administration of high dose corticosteroids is known to reduce this inflammatory response and could possibly improve the post-operative outcome. The CORTERAS study will evaluate the effect of administration of corticosteroids, as compared to no corticosteroids, on postoperative muscle weakness and quality of recovery after surgery in elderly patients.

Detailed description

The number of elderly patients undergoing surgery is expected to increase in the coming years, due to the increase in life expectancy in the developing world. Compared to younger surgical patients, the older patients are at greater risk of mortality and morbidity after surgery. Post-operative fatigue is an important complication after surgery. Not only is it reported by patients as one of the most distressing symptoms, it is also thought to be a significant contributor to delayed recovery after surgery. From a pathophysiological point of view, muscle weakness could be a major contributor to this post-operative fatigue. Recent studies showed a profound reduction in muscle strength after surgery in elderly patients, which lasted for more than 3 months after surgery. This decrease in muscle strength might be induced by an excessive inflammatory response to surgery. Glucocorticosteroids are capable of tampering an excessive inflammatory response to surgery and could improve the quality of recovery after surgery. However, a possible effect on post-operative muscle weakness hasn't been specifically investigated. Therefore, the main objective of this prospective clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of corticosteroids on early post-operative outcome, focusing on muscle weakness, in elderly patients (≥60 years) undergoing surgery.

Interventions

DRUGMethylprednisolone

250 mg Methylprednisolone made up with 100 ml NaCl0,9% as an IV injection at the induction of anaesthesia but before surgery. If CPB is required an additional dose in 100 ml will be given.

DRUGNaCl 0.9%

100 ml NaCl0,9% as an IV injection at the induction of anaesthesia but before surgery. If CPB is required an additional 100ml will be given.

Sponsors

Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Aged 60 years or older. * Scheduled for one of the predefined surgical procedures: * off-pump coronary bypass surgery * on-pump coronary bypass surgery * aortic and mitral valve replacement * laparoscopic hemicolectomies * thoracoscopic lung resections * femoral popliteal and tibial bypass surgery and femoral profundoplasty * laparoscopic radical prostatectomies

Exclusion criteria

* Lack of informed consent or inability to give informed consent. * Severe postoperative nausea \& vomiting (PONV), needing corticosteroids as PONV prophylaxis. * Urgent, not elective surgery * Hypersensitivity or known allergic reactions to methylprednisolone * Preoperative systemic use of steroids: * Including, but not limited to, the use of corticosteroids \> 4 weeks before surgery of at least 4 mg methylprednisolone equivalents. * Excluding inhalational and topical steroids * Preexisting muscle disease o Including, but not limited to: Steinert's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne dystrophy, amputation of dominant arm or hand.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Post operative muscle weaknessPre-operative and Post operative day 1decrease in muscle strength post-operatively, assessed by comparing the handgrip strength of the dominant hand, measured by the JAMAR dynamometer, on day 1 following surgery as compared to the preoperative value

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Post operative muscle weaknessPre-operative and Post operative day 1, 3 and 5Decrease in muscle strength post-operatively, assessed by comparing the handgrip strength of the dominant hand, measured by the JAMAR dynamometer, on day 3 and 5 following surgery as compared to the preoperative value, if still in the hospital.
Maximum inspiratory pressure as measure of respiratory muscle functionPre-operative and Post operative day 1, 3 and 5Maximum inspiratory pressure on day 1, 3 and 5, as compared to pre-operative value, if still in the hospital.
Post operative fatiguePre-operative and Post operative day 1, 3, 5 and 28Assessed by the Chalder fatigue Questionnaire - 11 items, scores min 0 - max 33, higher score means worse outcome: post-operative day 1, 3, 5 and 28, as compared to preoperatively
Quality of recovery (QOR)Post operative day 1, 3 and 5Assessed by the QOR-15 scale, scores min 0 - max 150, higher score means worse outcome, assessed on day 1, 3 and 5 as compared to preoperatively
Functioning at day 28Pre-operative and Post operative day 28EuroQol five dimensions of health (EQ5D), score of 1-5 on each health dimension, higher score means worse outcome + visual analogue scale from 0-100 questionning todays health, lower score means worse outcome. EQ5D is assessed on day 28, as compared to pre-operatively values
Coagulation disorderpostoperatively first 24 hoursbiochemical markers of coagulation postoperatively as compared to preoperatively
Sleeping pattern10 consecutive nights, starting 3 days before surgeryAssessed by the Consensus Sleep Diary (CSD) in a subset of study population
Sleep quality3 days before and 10 days after surgeryAssessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in a subet of study population, score range between 0 and 21, higher scores indicate worse sleep quality
Sleep chronotype3 days before surgeryAssessed by the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) is a subset of study population
Sleeping EEG patternfirst postoperative nightAssessed by EEG recording in a subset of study population

Countries

Belgium

Outcome results

None listed

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