Slow and steady anesthesia may protect older patients' blood pressure

NCT ID NCT06980688

Disease control Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether slowly increasing the dose of the anesthetic drug propofol based on a patient's needs keeps blood pressure more stable than giving a standard starting dose. Researchers will enroll 320 adults aged 55 and older having non-cardiac surgery. The goal is to see if a personalized approach reduces dangerous drops in blood pressure during the first 30 minutes of anesthesia.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: propofol and remifentanil (anesthetic drugs)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could lead to a safer way to start anesthesia for older adults, reducing drops in blood pressure.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage study focused on a short-term measure (blood pressure) rather than long-term outcomes. The results may not apply to all surgeries or patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 320 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Sep 2025

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

55 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults ≥ 55 years old * Patients undergoing any of the following planned surgery under general anaesthesia with intubation: Ear, nose and throat, gynaecological, maxillofacial, orthopedic, plastic and reconstructive, spine, urologic, vascular (varicose vein surgery, femoral endarterectomy, peripheral bypass surgery) and visceral surgery * Standard procedure for anaesthesia with propofol Target-Controlled Infusion (TCI) using the Schnider model and remifentanil TCI using the Minto model * American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification system (ASA PS) I-IV * Body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 or \<35 kg/m2 * Signed written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Special forms of anaesthesia induction, specifically awake tracheal intubation and rapid sequence induction * Combined anaesthesia procedures (general and regional anaesthesia combined) * Special forms of general anaesthesia (opioid-free anaesthesia or any opioid-sparring modifications with lidocaine, magnesium, ketamine, clonidine or dexmedetomidine) * Surgery in the prone position within the first 30 minutes * Patients with known difficult airway * Daily consumption of alcohol (\> one unit/day) or \> seven units/week * Any regular recreational drug abuse * Chronic use of benzodiazepines or opioids * Allergy to propofol * Patients with known brain pathologies, specifically seizure disorders, stroke within the past 9 months or dementia * History of awareness * Inability to follow procedures or insufficient knowledge in German

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Anesthesia

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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Slow and steady anesthesia may protect older patients' blood pressure

What the study statuses mean