AzTrials
AzTrials

StrokeAMETISNCT03229148

Anesthesia Management in Endovascular Therapy for Ischemic Stroke

A study testing General anaesthesia and Conscious Sedation in people with Stroke and Thrombectomy, run by University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand at 1 site in France.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Objective of the study: to assess whether pharmacological sedation or general anesthesia for treatment of anterior circulation ischemic stroke with endovascular mechanical thrombectomy is associated with difference in morbidity (neurological outcome and peri-procedural complications). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Stroke, Thrombectomy, Anesthesia
What is being tested?
General anaesthesia and Conscious Sedation
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
332 participants
Where
1 siteFrance
Study dates
31 Aug 2017to 30 Jun 2020
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke (terminal portion of the internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery), with indication for radiological mechanical thrombectomy assessed by the neurology / neuroradiology team
  • Over 18 years of age
  • Benefiting from an affiliation to the French Social Security system
  • Patient or familly informed consent. In case of patient incapacity and no family present, and due to the emergency of the procedure, the patient may be included on the sole decision of the investigator (emergency procedure with subsequent differed consent).

Who cannot join

  • Altered vigilance defined by score ≥ 2 at item 1a "level of consciousness" of the NIHSS score
  • Altered previous autonomy, defined by a modified Rankin score (mRS)> 1
  • Acute ischemic stroke of posterior circulation or anterior cerebral artery
  • Associated brain haemorrhage
  • Pregnant or nursing women
  • Patient under law protection
  • Stroke complicating another acute illness or postoperative stroke.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

France1 site
  • CHU de Clermont-Ferrand

    Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, 63003

Other trials in France

About this study

Official title: Anesthesia Management in Endovascular Therapy for Ischemic Stroke: A Multicenter Randomised Study

Objective of the study: to assess whether pharmacological sedation or general anesthesia for treatment of anterior circulation ischemic stroke with endovascular mechanical thrombectomy is associated with difference in morbidity (neurological outcome and peri-procedural complications).

Read the detailed description

Since 2015, the management of anterior acute ischemic stroke (AIS) involves endovascular treatment with mechanical thrombectomy (MT). This urgent, difficult and uncomfortable procedure in frail patients requires multidisciplinary care ideally involving neurologists, interventional neuroradiologists and anesthesiologists.

Two anesthetic strategies are currently used: pharmacologic sedation in spontaneous ventilation or general anesthesia with tracheal intubation. General anesthesia provides strict immobility, protects the airway and avoids emergency intubation in case of severe procedural complication (notably vomiting and aspiration). Sedation is a frequently used alternative because of (1) a rapid execution which could reduce delay to reperfusion, (2) a lower risk of blood pressure drop that may compromise cerebral blood flow in the penumbra area, (3) the theoretical capacity to assess neurological status during the procedure and (4) the supposed risk of complications associated with mechanical ventilation and intravenous anesthestics on brain metabolism. Nevertheless, sedation exposes to dramatic complications in case of patient agitation and movements.

The choice of the ideal anesthesic management is still lacking. Old retrospective studies seemed to favor sedation with worst neurological outcome associated with general anesthesia. Nevertheless, these datas suffered methodological issues with selection bias: more severe patients based on NIHSS score were rather treated with general anesthesia and blood pressure was not controlled. Recent studies that demonstrated the benefit of MT did not include a specific anesthetic protocol and none of the studies currently available included a blood pressure management protocol that appears to be an essential component of cerebral perfusion. A subgroup analysis of the MR Clean study, including patients with an identical initial NIHSS score, did not find benefit from MT in patients with general anesthesia compared to those receiving sedation. Finally, authors concluded that performing a MT under general anesthesia would significantly lengthen the reperfusion delay and nullify the benefit of MT.

The prospective, randomized, single-center SIESTA trial, conducted in 150 patients with an anterior circulation AIS, found no difference in the early neurological improvement (primary endpoint), assessed on the change in NIHSS score between admission and the 24th hour, between the conscious sedation group and the general anesthesia group. There were a tendency for a better 3-month neurological outcome in the general anesthesia group (37% vs 18% of patients with a Modified Rankin score of 0-2 in the general anesthesia and conscious sedation groups respectively), but it was not possible to conclude due to a lack of statistical power.

Due to the increasing number of patients eligible for endovascular MT and the potential implication of these two anesthetic management on the functional outcome, a study comparing general anesthesia and sedation during a MT seems essential as specified in the recent updated American Stroke Association guidelines.

The objective of this study is to assess whether sedation or general anesthesia during endovascular treatment with mechanical thrombectomy is associated with a difference in morbidity (neurological outcome and peri-procedural complications), in anterior circulation AIS.

Being tested
General anaesthesia, Conscious Sedation
Keywords
Anesthesia or Conscious sedation for Thrombectomy for Stroke, Thrombectomy, Anesthesia, Conscious sedation, Stroke
Medical subject headings
Stroke

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • General anaesthesiaProcedure or surgery

    Procedure in which patients are induced into an unconscious state through use of various medications so that they do not feel pain during surgery

  • Conscious SedationProcedure or surgery

    A drug-induced depression of consciousness during which patients respond purposefully to verbal commands, either alone or accompanied by light tactile stimulation. No interventions are required to maintain a patent airway. (From: American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Guidelines)

Study groups in NCT03229148
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
General anaesthesiaActive comparatorIn the general anesthesia group, rapid sequence induction is used. Conduction of general anesthesia and drugs used are left to the expertise of each investigating center. Systolic blood pressure has to be maintained between 140 and 180 mmHg with an intravenous norepinephrine infusion if necessary, tele-expiratory carbon dioxyde concentration (EtCO2) has to be maintained between 30 and 35 mmHg and SpO2 has to be maintained between 94 and 98 %.
Receives: Procedure: General anaesthesia
Conscious SedationActive comparatorIn the conscious sedation group, drugs choice as well as pharmacological modulation will be left to the expertise of each investigating center. A sedation level between 0 and -3 with spontaneous breathing will be targeted, using the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) score validated in French. The lightest sedation level will be targeted, i.e. minimal to moderate sedation according to the US recommendations for sedation / analgesia. Systolic blood pressure will be maintained between 140 and 180 mmHg with an intravenous norepinephrine infusion if necessary and SpO2 will be maintained between 94 and 98%.
Receives: Procedure: Conscious Sedation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. composite of functional independence at 3 months and absence of medical complication occurring by day 7 after endovascular therapy for anterior circulation AIS

    The primary outcome measure is a composite of functional independence at 3 months and absence of medical complication occurring by day 7 after endovascular therapy for anterior circulation AIS. Functional independence is defined as a mRS score 0 to 2 by day 90. Medical complications are defined as intervention-associated arterial perforation or dissection, pneumonia or myocardial infarction or acute cardiogenic pulmonary oedema or malignant stroke evolution occurring by day 7

    Measured: Day 90

Secondary outcomes (19)
  1. Ordinal score on the mRS by day 90

    Measured: at day 90

  2. Functional independence by day 90 defined as a mRS score 0-2

    Measured: at day 90

  3. Excellent recovery by day 90 defined as a mRS score 0-1

    Measured: at day 90

  4. Moderate recovery by day 90 defined as a mRS score 0-3

    Measured: at day 90

  5. Shift analysis of day 90 mRS adjusted for initial prognostic factors

    (baseline mRS, age, initial NIHSS, carotid top occlusion)

    Measured: at day 90

  6. Good recovery defined with sliding dichotomy responder analysis relating day 90 mRS with baseline NIHSS score: mRS 0 for NIHSS ≤ 7; mRS 0-1 for NIHSS 8-14; mRS 0-2 for NIHSS > 14

    Measured: at day 90

  7. Intraprocedural hemodynamic and ventilatory conditions and complications defined as hypotension, blood pressure variability, hypoxemia and aspiration

    Measured: at day 90

  8. Intervention-associated vessel and others complications defined as arterial dissection or perforation, groin hematoma, embolization in another arterial territory

    Measured: at day 90

  9. Door to groin puncture delay

    Measured: at day 90

  10. Door to reperfusion delay

    Measured: at day 90

  11. Successful reperfusion defined by the modified Treatment In Cerebral Ischemia (mTICI) reperfusion scale of 2b or 3 (with a grade of 2b or 3 indicating reperfusion of > 50% of the affected territory)

    Measured: at day 90

  12. NIHSS by day 1 and day 7

    Measured: by day 1 and day 7

  13. Stroke unit and hospital length of stay

    Measured: at day 90

  14. Medical complications by day 7 defined as pneumonia, acute cardiogenic pulmonary oedema, myocardial infarction, extra pulmonary infection, venous thromboembolism, new event of AIS, epilepsy, gastrointestinal bleeding or other symptomatic bleeding

    Measured: at day 7

  15. Malignant stroke evolution by day 7

    Measured: by day 7

  16. Symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage by day 7 defined as brain haemorrhage on imaging associated with an increase of at least 4 points in the NIHSS score

    Measured: by day 7

  17. Unexpected intensive care unit admission by day 7

    Measured: by day 7

  18. Mortality by day 7 and day 90

    Measured: by day 7 and day 90

  19. Procedural feasibility score estimated by the radiologist and the anaesthesiologist and patient acceptability score

    Measured: by day 7 and day 90

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Jul 2017
  2. Study start31 Aug 2017
  3. Primary completion13 May 2020
  4. Study completion30 Jun 2020

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Multicentic, prospective, open, in parallel groups, stratified and randomised study.
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
332 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03229148
Sponsor's protocol ID
CHU-343
Other IDs
2017-0303001-90, 2017
Acronym
AMETIS
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
20 Jul 2017
Last updated
21 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Berkhemer OA, Fransen PS, Beumer D, van den Berg LA, Lingsma HF, Yoo AJ, Schonewille WJ, Vos JA, Nederkoorn PJ, Wermer MJ, van Walderveen MA, Staals J, Hofmeijer J, van Oostayen JA, Lycklama a Nijeholt GJ, Boiten J, Brouwer PA, Emmer BJ, de Bruijn SF, van Dijk LC, Kappelle LJ, Lo RH, van Dijk EJ, de Vries J, de Kort PL, van Rooij WJ, van den Berg JS, van Hasselt BA, Aerden LA, Dallinga RJ, Visser MC, Bot JC, Vroomen PC, Eshghi O, Schreuder TH, Heijboer RJ, Keizer K, Tielbeek AV, den Hertog HM, Gerrits DG, van den Berg-Vos RM, Karas GB, Steyerberg EW, Flach HZ, Marquering HA, Sprengers ME, Jenniskens SF, Beenen LF, van den Berg R, Koudstaal PJ, van Zwam WH, Roos YB, van der Lugt A, van Oostenbrugge RJ, Majoie CB, Dippel DW; MR CLEAN Investigators. A randomized trial of intraarterial treatment for acute ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jan 1;372(1):11-20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1411587. Epub 2014 Dec 17.

    PubMed 25517348
  • Goyal M, Demchuk AM, Menon BK, Eesa M, Rempel JL, Thornton J, Roy D, Jovin TG, Willinsky RA, Sapkota BL, Dowlatshahi D, Frei DF, Kamal NR, Montanera WJ, Poppe AY, Ryckborst KJ, Silver FL, Shuaib A, Tampieri D, Williams D, Bang OY, Baxter BW, Burns PA, Choe H, Heo JH, Holmstedt CA, Jankowitz B, Kelly M, Linares G, Mandzia JL, Shankar J, Sohn SI, Swartz RH, Barber PA, Coutts SB, Smith EE, Morrish WF, Weill A, Subramaniam S, Mitha AP, Wong JH, Lowerison MW, Sajobi TT, Hill MD; ESCAPE Trial Investigators. Randomized assessment of rapid endovascular treatment of ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med. 2015 Mar 12;372(11):1019-30. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1414905. Epub 2015 Feb 11.

    PubMed 25671798
  • Saver JL, Goyal M, Bonafe A, Diener HC, Levy EI, Pereira VM, Albers GW, Cognard C, Cohen DJ, Hacke W, Jansen O, Jovin TG, Mattle HP, Nogueira RG, Siddiqui AH, Yavagal DR, Baxter BW, Devlin TG, Lopes DK, Reddy VK, du Mesnil de Rochemont R, Singer OC, Jahan R; SWIFT PRIME Investigators. Stent-retriever thrombectomy after intravenous t-PA vs. t-PA alone in stroke. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jun 11;372(24):2285-95. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1415061. Epub 2015 Apr 17.

    PubMed 25882376
  • Jovin TG, Chamorro A, Cobo E, de Miquel MA, Molina CA, Rovira A, San Roman L, Serena J, Abilleira S, Ribo M, Millan M, Urra X, Cardona P, Lopez-Cancio E, Tomasello A, Castano C, Blasco J, Aja L, Dorado L, Quesada H, Rubiera M, Hernandez-Perez M, Goyal M, Demchuk AM, von Kummer R, Gallofre M, Davalos A; REVASCAT Trial Investigators. Thrombectomy within 8 hours after symptom onset in ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jun 11;372(24):2296-306. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1503780. Epub 2015 Apr 17.

    PubMed 25882510
  • Campbell BC, Mitchell PJ, Kleinig TJ, Dewey HM, Churilov L, Yassi N, Yan B, Dowling RJ, Parsons MW, Oxley TJ, Wu TY, Brooks M, Simpson MA, Miteff F, Levi CR, Krause M, Harrington TJ, Faulder KC, Steinfort BS, Priglinger M, Ang T, Scroop R, Barber PA, McGuinness B, Wijeratne T, Phan TG, Chong W, Chandra RV, Bladin CF, Badve M, Rice H, de Villiers L, Ma H, Desmond PM, Donnan GA, Davis SM; EXTEND-IA Investigators. Endovascular therapy for ischemic stroke with perfusion-imaging selection. N Engl J Med. 2015 Mar 12;372(11):1009-18. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1414792. Epub 2015 Feb 11.

    PubMed 25671797
  • Berkhemer OA, van den Berg LA, Fransen PS, Beumer D, Yoo AJ, Lingsma HF, Schonewille WJ, van den Berg R, Wermer MJ, Boiten J, Lycklama A Nijeholt GJ, Nederkoorn PJ, Hollmann MW, van Zwam WH, van der Lugt A, van Oostenbrugge RJ, Majoie CB, Dippel DW, Roos YB; MR CLEAN investigators. The effect of anesthetic management during intra-arterial therapy for acute stroke in MR CLEAN. Neurology. 2016 Aug 16;87(7):656-64. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000002976. Epub 2016 Jul 15.

    PubMed 27421546
  • Schonenberger S, Uhlmann L, Hacke W, Schieber S, Mundiyanapurath S, Purrucker JC, Nagel S, Klose C, Pfaff J, Bendszus M, Ringleb PA, Kieser M, Mohlenbruch MA, Bosel J. Effect of Conscious Sedation vs General Anesthesia on Early Neurological Improvement Among Patients With Ischemic Stroke Undergoing Endovascular Thrombectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2016 Nov 15;316(19):1986-1996. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.16623.

    PubMed 27785516
  • Powers WJ, Derdeyn CP, Biller J, Coffey CS, Hoh BL, Jauch EC, Johnston KC, Johnston SC, Khalessi AA, Kidwell CS, Meschia JF, Ovbiagele B, Yavagal DR; American Heart Association Stroke Council. 2015 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Focused Update of the 2013 Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke Regarding Endovascular Treatment: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2015 Oct;46(10):3020-35. doi: 10.1161/STR.0000000000000074. Epub 2015 Jun 29.

    PubMed 26123479
  • Chabanne R, Geeraerts T, Begard M, Balanca B, Rapido F, Degos V, Tavernier B, Molliex S, Velly L, Verdonk F, Lukaszewicz AC, Perrigault PF, Albucher JF, Cognard C, Guyot A, Fernandez C, Masgrau A, Moreno R, Ferrier A, Jaber S, Bazin JE, Pereira B, Futier E; ANARLF NetworkAMETIS Study Group. Outcomes After Endovascular Therapy With Procedural Sedation vs General Anesthesia in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: The AMETIS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2023 May 1;80(5):474-483. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.0413.

    PubMed 37010829
  • Tosello R, Riera R, Tosello G, Clezar CN, Amorim JE, Vasconcelos V, Joao BB, Flumignan RL. Type of anaesthesia for acute ischaemic stroke endovascular treatment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Jul 20;7(7):CD013690. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013690.pub2.

    PubMed 35857365
  • Chabanne R, Begard M, Cazenave L, Pereira B. New paradigm shift in perioperative medicine: General anaesthesia finally better than procedural sedation for anterior circulation stroke thrombectomy? Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med. 2019 Dec;38(6):585-587. doi: 10.1016/j.accpm.2019.10.005. No abstract available.

    PubMed 31785703
  • Chabanne R, Fernandez-Canal C, Degos V, Lukaszewicz AC, Velly L, Mrozek S, Perrigault PF, Molliex S, Tavernier B, Dahyot-Fizelier C, Verdonk F, Caumon E, Masgrau A, Begard M, Chabert E, Ferrier A, Jaber S, Bazin JE, Pereira B, Futier E; ANARLF Network and the AMETIS study group. Sedation versus general anaesthesia in endovascular therapy for anterior circulation acute ischaemic stroke: the multicentre randomised controlled AMETIS trial study protocol. BMJ Open. 2019 Sep 13;9(9):e027561. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027561.

    PubMed 31519668

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing General anaesthesia and Conscious Sedation in people with Stroke and Thrombectomy, run by University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand at 1 site in France.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

composite of functional independence at 3 months and absence of medical complication occurring by day 7 after endovascular therapy for anterior circulation AIS (time frame: Day 90). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03229148, which also lists 12 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 Apr 2026.

Free account

Keep searching with a free account

You’ve used your 3 free searches for this session. Log in or create a free AzTrials account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in