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Effect of Patient Preference for Intraoperative Opioid Use on Early Postoperative Quality of Recovery

Patient Preference for Intraoperative Opioid Use and Early Recovery Following Non-Cardiac Surgery: Protocol for a Randomized Factorial Design Trial of Opioid-Free vs Opioid-Based Anesthesia (PERFECT TRIAL)

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06855641
Acronym
PERFECT
Enrollment
240
Registered
2025-03-04
Start date
2025-03-24
Completion date
2025-06-18
Last updated
2025-06-27

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

Conditions

Opioid Analgesia, Quality of Recovery (QoR-15), Outcome Assessment, Opioid Free Anesthesia

Keywords

opioids, quality of recovery, analgesia, moderate risk surgery, postoperative pain

Brief summary

Substituting the administration of opioids with a combination of alternative analgesics, known as opioid-free anesthesia (OFA), is gaining in popularity today and is typically administered as part of a larger multimodal strategy. However, OFA adoption is not as common today as one could expect from the potential benefits of limiting opioid use and patient involvement in the decision may impact its adoption. Relevant shared decision-making process with patients concerning the use or limited use of opioids could improve patient autonomy and empowerment. There have been no studies that have evaluated patient preference regarding opioid use and its potential impact on the quality of recovery. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of patient preference on intraoperative opioid use on early postoperative quality of recovery following moderate risk laparoscopic/robotic abdominal surgery.

Detailed description

Although opioid analgesic drugs are commonly used to relieve pain associated with surgery, they are not consequence free. Respiratory depression, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), impaired gastrointestinal function, urinary retention are frequent concerns associated with their use. Moreover, the United States and many western countries are currently experiencing a significant health problem with opioid addiction and deaths due to overdose. Some opioid addiction pathways can trace their origin back to when a patient was first admitted to a hospital and received opioids in the setting of acute pain or surgery. As a result of this, there is likely a potential iatrogenic component to the current opioid abuse epidemic. Questioning the role of opioids is part of enhanced recovery after surgery programs, and good practice to reduce the risk of developing addiction and other side effects. Substituting the administration of opioids with a combination of alternative analgesics, known as opioid-free anesthesia (OFA), is gaining in popularity today and is typically administered as part of a larger multimodal strategy. However, OFA adoption is not as common today as one could expect from the potential benefits of limiting opioid use and patient involvement in the decision may impact its adoption. Relevant shared decision-making process with patients concerning the use or limited use of opioids could improve patient autonomy and empowerment. There have been no studies that have evaluated patient preference regarding opioid use and its potential impact on the quality of recovery. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of patient preference on intraoperative opioid use on early postoperative quality of recovery following moderate risk laparoscopic/robotic abdominal surgery.

Interventions

in this group, patient will receive standard of care at UCLA including fentanyl administration during surgery

PROCEDUREopioid free anesthesia

In this group, patients will not receive any opioids intraoperatively

Sponsors

University of California, Los Angeles
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

quality of recovery will be done by research coordinators and research students ( undergraduate students) not involved in patient care.

Intervention model description

The PERFECT trial is an interventional, pragmatic, partially randomized trial with factorial design.

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Age \>18 years. * Undergoing elective intermediate risk surgery under general anesthesia (robotic or laparoscopic assisted urological, gynecological or abdominal surgery). * American Society Anesthesiologists physical status classification system grades of I-IV. * English speaking. * Informed consent signed.

Exclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of chronic pain * Preoperative prescribed opioids * Pregnancy or lactation. * History of mental disorders. * Contraindications to study drug (lidocaine, magnesium, dexmedetomidine, ketamine) * Patient is participating in another interventional trial * Patient is under judicial protection or is an adult under guardianship.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Quality of recovery (QoR15)Postoperative day 1The primary outcome will be the comparison of early postoperative quality of recovery (QoR) on postoperative day 1 (POD#1) using the validated QoR-15 score (as a whole, and each item separately) between patients who choose vs don't choose their anesthesia strategies. The minimum score is 0 and the maximum score is 150. The higher score, the better quality of recovery

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
PONV incidencePostoperative day 2Incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting defined as the use in percentage of any antiemetic drug in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and from PACU discharge to home discharge (usually between postoperative day 1 and 2)
Anesthesia satisfactionPostoperative day 1Anesthesia satisfaction assessment with the Bauer questionnaire. Overall satisfaction and satisfaction by category prevalence (%). Self assessment. It contains 5 questions with 4 categories of answers (very satisfy- satisfy- dissatisfy - very dissatisfy). The proportion of each questions will be compared between groups
Postoperative opioid consumptionPostoperative 30opioid consumption in morphine equivalent (mg) from PACU arrival to hospital discharge and from hospital discharge to 30 days post-surgery
Quality of Recovery at postoperative day 2Postoperative day 2QoR15 at postoperative day 2 (same as the primary outcome but assessed at POD#2). The minimum score is 0 and the maximum score is 150. The higher score, the better quality of recovery
Postoperative hypoxemia incidencePostoperative day 2hypoxemia incidence defined as therapeutic oxygen supplementation to maintain SpO2 \> 95% from PACU arrival to postoperative day 2
Health quality of lifePostoperative day 30Health quality of life on POD#30 with EuroQol5 dimension. Five-level version (EQ-5D-5L score) with visual analogic scale (for each question, you should answer among 5 propositions). The higher score, the better the quality of life of the patient.
Early quality of recovery on POD#1Postoperative day 1QoR15 at POD#1 depending on OFA vs OBA, whatever patient preferences. The minimum score is 0 and the maximum score is 150. The higher score, the better quality of recovery
Intraoperative bradycardiaduring surgerybradycardia incidence during surgery: defined as a heart rate \< 40 per min with concomitant atropine administration (%)

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

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