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TerminatedNCT03486288CONFESSUpdated May 27, 2021

Cognitive Impairment Following Elective Spine Surgery

An observational study in Cognitive Impairment, Postoperative Delirium and Spine Fusion, sponsored by University Medicine Greifswald. Terminated at 1 site in Germany. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-05-27.

Sponsored by University Medicine Greifswald · Observational

Why this study was terminated
Recruitment delayed because of Sars-CoV-2 pandemic, elective surgery stopped, funding for undefinite extension not available
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
124
Ages
60 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Older people are a rapidly growing proportion of the world's population and their number is expected to increase twofold by 2050. When these people become patients that require surgery, they are at particular high risk for postoperative delirium (POD), which is associated with longer hospital stays, higher costs, risk for delayed complications and cognitive dysfunction (POCD). Having suffered an episode of delirium is furthermore a predictor of long-term care dependency. Despite these risks, an increasing number of elderly undergo major elective surgery. This is reflected by the frequency of elective spinal surgery, in general, and instrumented fusions, in particular, which has markedly increased over the past few decades.

It is yet insufficiently understood, which, particularly modifiable, factors contribute to the development of POD and POCD following these major but plannable surgeries. A better understanding of risk factors would facilitate informed patient decisions and surgical strategies could be tailored to individual risk profiles.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cognitive Impairment
  • Postoperative Delirium
  • Spine Fusion

Keywords

  • delirium
  • postoperative cognitive dysfunction
  • spine surgery
  • elderly
  • neuroinflammation
  • magnetic resonance imaging
  • resting state fmri
  • cerebral vasculature
  • quality of life
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
60 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

All patients seen in a neurosurgical oupatient clinic will be screened for eligibility.

Inclusion criteria

  • age ≥ 60 years
  • scheduled for elective spine surgery without opening the dura
  • patient can give informed consent him-/herself
  • German native speaker

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • dementia or neurodegenerative disease
  • psychiatric disease
  • prescription of CNS-active medication (e.g. antidepressants, antipsychotics, sedatives, alpha-1-antagonists)
  • impossible to participate in follow-up
  • participation in an interventional trial
  • electronic or displacable metallic implants
  • active neoplasm
04

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
124 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Delirium
  • No Delirium
05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. postoperative delirium - incidence

    screening through Nu-DESC (Nursing Delirium Screening Scale) ≥ 2 and verification of screening procedure by DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition) criteria once during each shift

    Time frame: ≤ 3 days postoperatively

Secondary outcomes

  1. postoperative delirium - duration

    screening through Nu-DESC ≥ 2 and verification of screening procedure by DSM-V criteria DSM-V once during each shift

    Time frame: ≤ 3 days postoperatively or until delirium resolves

  2. postoperative delirium - severity

    rated through CAM-S (Confusion Assessment Method - Severity) if patient was identified to be delirious

    Time frame: ≤ 3 days postoperatively or until delirium resolves

  3. postoperative cognitive dysfunction - severity

    CERAD-Plus (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease - Plus)

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  4. pre- and postoperative intelligence

    MWT-B (Mehrfachwahl-Wortschatz-Intelligenztest - B)

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  5. Markers of systemic inflammation

    C-reactive protein, Interleukins, Tumor necrosis factor among others

    Time frame: ≤ 2 days postoperatively

  6. Markers of neuroinflammation

    Glial fibrillary acidic protein among others

    Time frame: ≤ 2 days postoperatively

  7. Markers of oxidative and metabolic stress

    Malondialdehyd

    Time frame: ≤ 2 days postoperatively

  8. Patient Reported Quality of life

    PROMIS-29 (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System- Profile 29 incl. proxy-rating)

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  9. Patient Reported Quality of life - 2

    SF-36 (Short Form 36)

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  10. Anxiety and depression

    HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale)

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  11. Frailty

    Groningen Frailty Scale

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  12. Structural magnetic resonance imaging

    White matter lesions

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  13. Functional magnetic resonance imaging

    Resting state networks

    Time frame: baseline and 3 months postoperatively

  14. Cerebral vasculature

    Ultrasound of extra- and intracranial cerebral arteries

    Time frame: baseline

  15. Genetic polymorphisms

    Time frame: baseline

06

Study locations

1 site
  • Department of Neurology
    Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 17475, Germany
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Muller J, Nowak S, Vogelgesang A, von Sarnowski B, Rathmann E, Schmidt S, Rehberg S, Usichenko T, Kertscho H, Hahnenkamp K, Floel A, Schroeder HW, Muller JU, Fleischmann R. Evaluating Mechanisms of Postoperative Delirium and Cognitive Dysfunction Following Elective Spine Surgery in Elderly Patients (CONFESS): Protocol for a Prospective Observational Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Feb 13;9(2):e15488. doi: 10.2196/15488. Erratum In: JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Feb 28;9(2):e18469. doi: 10.2196/18469. PubMed 32053113 ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03486288
Lead sponsor
University Medicine Greifswald
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 3, 2018
Start date
Feb 6, 2018
Primary completion
Mar 31, 2020
Completion
Mar 30, 2021
Last update
May 27, 2021

Study contacts

Robert Fleischmann, MD
principal investigator · Department of Neurology
Jonas Müller, MD
principal investigator · Department of Neurosurgery

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
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