Neurobiological and Cognitive Changes Following Exposure to Either Sevoflurane- or Propofol-based Anesthesia in Children
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2019-09-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The demand for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in pediatric patients is increasing due to
its use in medical diagnosis and surveillance. Pediatric patients often require general
anesthesia (GA) for MRI due to the need for prolonged immobility during the scanning process
to obtain high quality images. Two widely used anesthetic techniques for pediatric MRIs are
volatile-based anesthesia using sevoflurane and total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) using
propofol. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential neurotoxic effects of anesthetics
on the developing brain. Within the animal literature, there is emerging evidence to suggest
that both sevoflurane and propofol may cause inflammation, impacting brain cell survival and
connections, thereby contributing to possible cognitive dysfunction. However, given the
challenges in extrapolating the animal data to humans, and the relatively limited human
cohort studies examining the long-term effects of anesthesia exposure, there is inadequate
information available to make informed clinical decisions regarding the choice of optimal
anesthetic agents for MRI in children. Therefore, this study will uniquely examine the
mechanisms of two widely used anesthetics and their short and long-term impact on
developmental outcomes in healthy children.
Phase:
Phase 3
Details
Lead Sponsor:
University of Calgary
Treatments:
Anesthetics Anesthetics, Intravenous Anesthetics, Local Antiemetics Ondansetron Propofol Sevoflurane Tetracaine