Optimizing Patient-centred Outcomes Using Opioid Minimization Strategies: The OPUS Anesthesia Pilot Trial

Launched by CHU DE QUEBEC-UNIVERSITE LAVAL · Mar 13, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The OPUS Anesthesia Pilot Trial is a study aimed at improving recovery after major surgery by testing two medications, dexmedetomidine and lidocaine, given during anesthesia. Many patients struggle to recover fully after surgery, which can affect their ability to return to daily activities. By using these medications, researchers hope to see if they can help patients feel better and recover faster after their procedures. This trial will help determine if it is feasible to conduct a larger study to evaluate their effects more thoroughly.

To participate in this trial, you need to be an adult aged 18 or older who is scheduled for a major surgery that requires general anesthesia and will involve at least one night in the hospital. However, there are some exclusions, such as having allergies to the medications being tested or certain health conditions that might make participation unsafe. If you join the study, you can expect to undergo the usual pre-surgery assessments and will be monitored closely to see how well you recover. This trial is still in the planning stages and hasn't started recruiting participants yet, but it aims to gather important information that could improve post-surgery care for many patients.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Adults \>/= 18 years.
• • 2. Having elective major non-cardiac surgery (i.e., planned duration \>/= 1.5 hours and anticipated \>/= 1 night hospital stay).
• • 3. Requiring general anesthesia.
• • 4. Able to complete baseline quality of recovery assessment.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Individuals with known contraindications to dexmedetomidine or lidocaine (e.g., allergy to alpha-2 agonists or local anesthetics, severe renal or hepatic failure, bradycardia or hypotension), as per routine assessment.
• • 2. Regular use of alpha-2 agonists or local anesthetics prior to hospitalization.
• • 3. Pregnant women.
• • 4. Planned use of regional analgesia (i.e., epidural, peripheral nerve block, trunk nerve block) in conjunction with general anesthesia. Local anesthetics such as lidocaine are administered as part of regional analgesia technique. Combination with intravenous lidocaine is contraindicated to avoid exceeding therapeutic concentration.
• • 5. Planned postoperative intubation after PACU discharge.
• • 6. No fixed address.