Opioid Free Anesthesia: What About Patient Comfort?

Université Libre de Bruxelles

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 4

Conditions: Anesthesia

Treatments: Other: OFA

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02882035

CE2261

Details and patient eligibility

About

66 female patients undergoing breast cancer surgery were randomized in the Jules Bordet Institute, the Belgian oncology institute. One group received an opioid anesthesia, the other group an opioid free one. The hypothesis of this study was that opioid free anesthesia improves the postoperative quality of recovery of anesthesia.

Full description

Opioids used as part of balanced anesthesia have known undesired side effects such as: respiratory depression, post-operative nausea and vomiting, pruritus, difficulty voiding and ileus.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether opioid free anesthesia influences the quality of recovery. A multimodal approach combining ketamine, lidocaine and clonidine was used as an alternative for an opioid based anesthesia.

The hypothesis of this study was that patient comfort and satisfaction level after an opioid free anesthesia would be higher compared to after a more traditional opioid anesthesia.

Enrollment: 66 patients

Sex: Female

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Oncological patients undergoing a total mastectomy or lumpectomy associated with a total axillary dissection were screened.
• Patients with an ASA physical status of II were included.
• Knowledge of either French, English or Dutch was required.

Exclusion criteria were the following:

• Allergy or contraindications to one of the study drugs, renal failure, hepatic failure, hyperthyroidism, AV block 2 or 3 or severe bradycardia, left ventricular failure, unstable blood pressure, epilepsy and psychiatric disturbance.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

---

66 participants in 2 patient groups

OFA (opioid free anesthesia)

Experimental group

Description:

All drugs were given IV. Induction in the opioid free group began with a loading dose of clonidine (0.2 mcg kg-1), a bolus of ketamine (0.3 mg kg -1) lidocaine (1.5 mg kg -1) and a bolus of propofol (2-3 mg kg -1). General anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (MAC: 1) (adapted according to hemodynamic stability). Upon the incision, acetaminophen (1000 mg) and diclofenac (75 mg) were given in both groups. A bolus of ketamine (0.2mg kg -1) was given if necessary in the opioid free group (up to three bolus max. were permitted). A bolus of piritramide (0.03 mg kg -1) was administered upon subcutaneous closure. Postoperative pain was treated with IV acetaminophen (1000 mg) every 6 h for the first 24 hours and IV diclofenac (75 mg) every 12 h for the first 24 hours. Patients received a PCIA (patient-controlled intravenous analgesia) pump of piritramide.

Treatment:

Other: OFA

OA (opioid anesthesia)

No Intervention group

Description:

All drugs were given IV. Induction in the opioid group began with remifentanil TCI, a bolus of ketamine (0.3 mg kg -1) lidocaine (1.5 mg kg -1) and a bolus of propofol (2-3 mg kg -1). General anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (MAC: 1). Upon the incision, acetaminophen (1000 mg) and diclofenac (75 mg) were given in both groups. A bolus of piritramide (0.03 mg kg -1) was administered upon subcutaneous closure. Postoperative pain was treated with IV acetaminophen (1000 mg) every 6 h for the first 24 hours and IV diclofenac (75 mg) every 12 h for the first 24 hours. Patients received a PCIA (patient-controlled intravenous analgesia) pump of piritramide.