Skip to content

Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Mental Disorders and Long-term Survival in Elderly Patients

Effect of Intraoperative Use of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Mental Disorders and Long-term Survival in Elderly Patients Undergoing Non-cardiac Surgery

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06362408
Enrollment
6000
Registered
2024-04-12
Start date
2022-06-01
Completion date
2023-06-01
Last updated
2024-11-04

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

Conditions

Cohort Studies

Keywords

Dexmedetomidine, Postoperative mental disorders, Long-term survival, Elderly patients, depression, anxiety, delirium

Brief summary

China's aging population is causing an increase in the number of senior persons undergoing surgery. More and more clinicians are paying attention to the postoperative survival and mental health of elderly surgical patients. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist that works by inhibiting norepinephrine releasing renaline, which reduces inflammation and thus plays a protective role in the central nervous system. DEX has the potential to prevent and treat postoperative anxiety and depression in elderly patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Further exploration of evidence for evidence-based medicine is needed. Based on the above research background, this hypothesis is proposed: in elderly patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, intraoperative DEX is associated with a reduction in short-term postoperative mental disorders and a reduction in long-term postoperative mortality.

Detailed description

Studies have suggested that continuous infusion of low-dose DEX during the night after surgery can significantly reduce the incidence of delirium, alleviate pain, and improve subjective sleep quality. However, it is currently unclear whether choosing DEX during anesthesia has any impact on mortality and mental disorders in older patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Therefore, we utilized prospective research data from 7 centers in China to explore the relationship between intraoperative use of DEX and postoperative 12-month mortality and mental disorders. Propensity score-matching (PSM) and Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were conducted, and subgroup analyses were also applied.

Interventions

DRUGDexmedetomidine

Older patients who have used dexmedetomidine(safe use range: 0.2\ 1.0 μg/(kg·h)) for anesthesia induction or maintenance during surgery were classified as the DEX group. On the contrary, patients who did not use dexmedetomidine throughout the entire anesthesia process were identified as the Non-DEX group.

Sponsors

Beijing Tiantan Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
CollaboratorOTHER
The Affiliated Hospital Of Guizhou Medical University
CollaboratorOTHER
The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
CollaboratorOTHER
Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
CollaboratorOTHER
Fudan University
CollaboratorOTHER
Peking University People's Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
The First Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
CollaboratorOTHER
China-Japan Friendship Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
Chinese PLA General Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 110 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Age ≥65 years old, regardless of gender 2. Patients undergoing general anaesthesia (combined sedation or intravenous general anaesthesia) 3. ASA level 1-3 4. Patients undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery, non-neurosurgery

Exclusion criteria

1. More than 20% missing data for covariates; 2. Postoperative admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) or death during follow-up; 3. Preoperative history of severe sleep disorder and taking related medication; 4. Have a history of severe anxiety or depression prior to surgery and taking relevant medication; 5. Severe hearing, speech and cognitive impairments that preclude access to follow-up visits

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Postoperative mortality rateup to 12 monththe 12-month all-cause mortality

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
The incidence of postoperative anxietyAnxiety within 7 days of surgeryThe GAD-7 is a seven-item questionnaire for screening on the presence of generalized anxiety disorder and assessing its severity. Items were scored on a four-point scale with total scores ranging from zero to twenty-one. Scores were defined as: ≥5 mild, ≥10 moderate, and ≥15 severe anxiety. The recommended screening cutoff was ≥10, corresponding with at least a moderate level of anxiety. Higher scores mean more anxiety.
The incidence of postoperative depressionDepression within 7 days of surgeryPrimary outcomes were depression Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9).The PHQ-9 is a nine-item questionnaire for screening on the presence of depressive symptoms and monitoring depression severity. Items were scored on a four-point scale with total scores ranging from zero to twenty-seven. Scores were defined as: ≥5 mild, ≥10 moderate, and ≥15 severe level of depression. The recommended screening cutoff was ≥10, corresponding with at least a moderate level of depression. The higher the score, the worse the situation. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, and higher scores indicate more depressive symptoms.
The incidence of postoperative deliriumDuring hospitalization (up to 1 month)the incidence of postoperative delirium (3D-CAM scale).Delirium was defined as acute, transient, fluctuating, and usually reversible disturbances in attention, cognition, or attention level. It was assessed every 12 hours by trained nurses using the confusion assessment method (CAM).
Surgical related complicationswithin 12 months after surgerySurgery-related complications include cardiovascular, respiratory, pulmonary, digestive, urinary, neurological, infection, pain, and bleeding from the surgery.
Postoperative quality of life evaluationwithin 12 months after surgeryFive-dimensional health scale EQ-5D, the five-dimensional health scale consists of 5 dimensions: mobility, self-care, activities of daily living, pain or discomfort, anxiety or depression. Each dimension contains three levels: no difficulty, some difficulty, and extreme difficulty. Through the conversion of effect size, the respondents can make choices at the five dimensions and three levels in the questionnaire, and calculate the score of the five-dimensional health scale index.
Postoperative sleep disorderswithin 6 months after surgeryThe Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) sleep-related data and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were used to evaluate the postoperative sleep abnormalities of the patients.

Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

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