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DeliriumPhase 4NCT03480061

Dexmedetomidine to Reduce the Incidence of POCD After Open Cardiac Surgery

A Phase 4 study testing Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride Group in people with Delirium and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction, run by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at 1 site in Canada.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

Anesthesia is a drug induced, reversible, comatose state that facilitates surgery and it is widely assumed that cognition returns to baseline after anesthetics have been eliminated. However, many patients have persistent memory impairment for weeks to months after surgery. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 60 years and older
What is being tested?
Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride Group
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
90 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
9 Aug 2018to Dec 2026
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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

Who may be able to join

  • Planned CABG (including off-pump) or valve replacement (+/- CABG) via sternotomy/thoracotomy, with initial recovery in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)
  • age ≥60

Who cannot join

  • Lack of patient consent
  • Pregnant or nursing females
  • Pre-operative major cognitive dysfunction (CogState Brief Battery score < 80)
  • Aortic arch replacement/re-implantation (Bentalls)
  • Allergy/contraindication to dexmedetomidine (untreated 2nd degree type 2 or 3rd degree heart block (pacemaker), cirrhosis, HR < 50 , grade 4 LV, renal failure or on renal replacement therapy)
  • Unlikely to comply with study assessments (e.g. no fixed address, cannot complete cognitive tests at the 3, 6, and 12 month timepoints)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

    Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Dexmedetomidine to Reduce the Incidence of Persistent Cognitive Dysfunction After Open Cardiac Surgery: A Pilot Randomized Trial

Anesthesia is a drug induced, reversible, comatose state that facilitates surgery and it is widely assumed that cognition returns to baseline after anesthetics have been eliminated. However, many patients have persistent memory impairment for weeks to months after surgery. Cardiac surgery appears to carry the highest risk of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). These cognitive deficits are associated with increased mortality, prolonged hospital stay and loss of independence. The investigators propose to investigate the role of Dexmedetomidine (DEX) in preventing long-term POCD after cardiac surgery and enhancing early postoperative recovery. It is anticipated that DEX will be the first effective preventative therapy for POCD, improve patient outcomes, and reduce length of stay and healthcare costs.

Read the detailed description

Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a highly potent and selective α2-adrenoceptors (α2R) agonist used in clinical practice for sedation, analgesia, and anxiolysis, was recently shown to have beneficial effects on early cognitive changes by reducing delirium in humans.It also reduced memory impairment after surgery and isoflurane anesthesia, both in elderly mice (20-22 months) and in pups exposed to anesthesia in the early postnatal period. Importantly, co-treatment with DEX has been shown to restore learning and memory function in rats exposed to propofol in utero. Therefore, the investigators set out to investigate whether DEX has an effect on cognitive dysfunction months after surgery and whether it accelerates cognitive recovery from anesthesia and surgery.

Participants will be randomized 1:1 in permuted blocks of 4 to 8. The randomization sequence will be computer generated and stratified by 2 factors, planned procedure (CABG/CABG + valve or valve only procedure) and study site (for full multicentre trial).

In hospital outcomes include delirium (assessed twice daily post-operative day (POD) 0-10, death, hemodynamic instability requiring vasopressors, time to extubation, re-intubation (and reason), length of stay (in Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and total hospital), POCD, depressive symptoms between POD 4-10, post-operative complications (infection [surgical site, sepsis, pneumonia], myocardial infarction, renal replacement therapy, re-operation, cumulative opioid consumption (to POD 4), in-hospital mortality.

Post-operative outcomes include POCD (3/6/12 months), depression (3/6/12 months), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at 3/6/12 months (defined as 1-2 standard deviations below age matched controls), persistent surgical site pain at sternotomy/thoracotomy/graft harvest site (Brief Pain Inventory, 3/6/12 months), recovery (3,6, 12 months).

Being tested
Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride Group
Medical subject headings
Delirium, Postoperative Cognitive Complications, Cognitive Dysfunction, Depression

What participants receive

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

  • Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride GroupDrug

    Also called Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride

    Dexmedetomidine will be initiated prior to transfer to the CVICU with loading dose of 1 ug kg-1 over approximately 20 minutes. This will be followed by an infusion at 0.1-1.0 ug kg-1h-1 in CVICU for up to 24 hours from the time DEX infusion started or until the patient is ready for discharge from the CVICU (whichever is earlier).

Study groups in NCT03480061
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride GroupActive comparatorPatients will receive a loading dose of 1 μg/kg dexmedetomidine prior to transfer to CVICU over 20 min immediately postoperative, followed by continuous infusion of 0.1- 1.0 μg/kg/h for up to 24 hours or until patient is ready for discharge from CVICU (whichever is earlier).
Receives: Drug: Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride Group
Standard of Care GroupNo interventionStandard sedation protocols will be followed at the discretion of the attending physician.

What is being measured

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

  1. Rate of recruitment

    Ability to recruit 15% a full trail sample size (90 participants)

    Measured: 12 Months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Completion of follow-up assessments

    Ability to achieve 90% follow-up of administering cognitive assessment 3 months after surgery

    Measured: 3 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted27 Mar 2018
  2. Study start9 Aug 2018
  3. Primary completionJul 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)

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 4
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
90 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03480061
Sponsor's protocol ID
2018
Status last verified
Nov 2024
First submitted
21 Mar 2018
Last updated
24 Dec 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride Group in people with Delirium and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction, run by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at 1 site in Canada.

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 2 inclusion and 6 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Dec 2024. 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 Canada. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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?

Rate of recruitment (time frame: 12 Months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 24 Dec 2024.

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