A Phase 4 interventional study of Ephedrine Hydrochloride 30 mg/ml and Saline (NaCl 0,9 %) (placebo) in Neuromuscular Blockade, sponsored by Matias Vested. Completed at 2 sites in Denmark. Open to participants aged 80 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-11.
Sponsored by Matias Vested · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment
The aim of this study is to determine the onset time of rocuronium after administration of ephedrine 0.15 mg/kg in patients with age ≥ 80 years. The hypothesis of this study is that ephedrine 0.15 mg/kg provides a shorter onset time compared to placebo (saline).
Numbers of elderly patients requiring anesthesia and surgery are increasing, and as a group, elderly patients are at high risk of postoperative complications. Aging leads to a progressive impairment of organ function and a decline in physiologic reserve and in the elderly patient population, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of medications administered during anesthesia may be influenced by the age-related reduction in cardiac output, liver function and renal function. Also, the body composition changes with age and elderly have lower total body water and an increase in body fat.
Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) are administered during anesthesia to facilitate tracheal intubation. However, in elderly patients onset time of standard doses of NMBAs are prolonged, and for 0.6 mg/kg of rocuronium it is prolonged by 50% when comparing elderly with younger adults (median 135 seconds vs 90 seconds). A prolonged onset time of rocuronium may result in prolonged time to tracheal intubation which aims to secure the patients airway and breathing during anesthesia and thereby prevents pulmonary aspiration and hypoxia. It is therefore relevant to investigate measures to reduce onset time of rocuronium in the elderly.
Ephedrine administered in younger adults undergoing general anesthesia has reduced the onset time of rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg. The mechanism behind this is speculated to be an increase in cardiac output.
It is possible to detect onset time of NMBAs with objective neuromuscular monitoring perioperatively by train-of-four (TOF) stimulation at the ulnar nerve. The effect of ephedrine on onset time of rocuronium has not been assessed in elderly patients above 80 years of age.
The possible benefit of this trial is to investigate whether ephedrine 0.15 mg/kg reduces onset time of rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg in the elderly. This may result in a shorter time to tracheal intubation and also establish better intubating conditions. The results may help to detect the optimal method for administering rocuronium to facilitate tracheal intubation in elderly patients.
The investigators hypothesize that ephedrine 0.15 mg/kg will provide a shorter onset time of rocuronium compared to placebo (saline).
Matias Vested is the lead sponsor of 7 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Ephedrine 0.15 mg/kg. Dose of ephedrine is based on ideal body weight, calculated as height (cm) minus 105 for women and height (cm) minus 100 for men or actual body weight, whichever is lower.
Drug: Ephedrine Hydrochloride 30 mg/ml
Saline 1 ml.
Drug: Saline (NaCl 0,9 %) (placebo)
0.15 mg/kg during induction.
1 ml during induction.
Onset time of rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg defined as the time from administration of rocuronium until TOF count of 0.
Onset time is determined by an investigator using a stop-watch.
Time frame: Within 1 hour
Intubating conditions assessed by The Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS)
Tracheal intubation will be performed when TOF count is zero. The anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist will be interviewed after intubation by the investigator, who will note a score for each variable and the initials of the operator in the CRF. The intubating conditions will be classified with "Degree of Difficulty" according to the IDS scale, where an IDS score of 0 translates to "Easy", a score of 0 \< IDS ≤ 5 translates to "Slight Difficulty" and 5 \< IDS translates to "Moderate to Major Difficulty". Impossible intubation is defined by infinity (IDS = ∞ ).
Time frame: Within 1 hour
Intubating conditions assessed by Fuchs-Buder scale
Tracheal intubation will be performed when TOF count is zero. The anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist will be interviewed after intubation by the investigator, who will note a score for each variable and the initials of the operator in the CRF. All variables will be assessed as either excellent, good or poor. The intubating conditions will be classified as excellent if all qualities are excellent, good if all qualities are either excellent or good and poor if the presence of a single quality listed as poor.
Time frame: Within 1 hour
Occurrence of new cardiac arrythmia during induction of anaesthesia (<15 minutes after administration of ephedrine or saline)
Time frame: Within 15 minutes
Change in mean arterial blood pressure from before induction to immediately after intubation
Time frame: Within 1 hour
Time to TOF 0.9
Time frame: Within 4 hours
Occurrence of hoarseness and sore throat 24 and 72 hours postoperatively
After 24 hours patients are asked about hoarseness and sore throat. The patients who experience either or both will be called 3 days postoperatively again. These two variables are assessed using a numeric ranking scale.
Time frame: Within 72 hours
Plan to share: No
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Matias Vested