Individual Cerebral Hemodynamic Oxygenation Relationships - ICHOR 4

Launched by CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES · Jul 29, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how two different types of anesthesia—Propofol and Dexmedetomidine—affect blood flow and oxygen use in the brain during an MRI scan. Researchers want to see if these anesthetics change how the brain receives and uses oxygen, which can help doctors better understand their effects and choose the safest option for patients.

The trial is for children from birth up to 7 years old who need anesthesia to stay still during an MRI. To join, a child must be scheduled for an MRI at the study location and be able to safely have either type of anesthesia, with no medical reasons making one drug clearly better than the other. Participants will be randomly given one of the two anesthetics, and the MRI might take up to 10 minutes longer than usual to allow researchers to make their measurements. It’s important to note that children with certain medical conditions like pacemakers or those who are too unstable will not be able to participate. This study is not yet recruiting but aims to help improve anesthesia care for young patients undergoing MRI scans.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients who are scheduled for a clinically indicated MRI at the sponsor institution.
• • Patients who are able to tolerate an MRI.
• • Patients who require clinical anesthesia for their MRI.
• • Patients with conditions not believed to alter oxygen metabolism or blood flow in the brain, including but not limited to patients with orthopedic indications, undescended testicles, hernia repairs, term equivalent age scans.
• • Patients who have no medical conditions that make the use of propofol or dexmedetomidine better for their clinical outcome.
• • Patients between birth and up-to 7 year of age.
• • Patients with conditions known to alter oxygen metabolism or blood flow in the brain, e.g. traumatic brain injury, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, tumor.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with an MRI-incompatible device or implant (e.g. pacemakers, stents)
• • Preterm infants less than 25 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) at the time of the scan.
• • Patients who are clinically too unstable to extend their MRI by up-to 10 minutes.
• • Patients who do not require clinical anesthesia.
• • Patients at risk for propofol infusion syndrome (known severe metabolic acidosis, hyperkalemia, lipemia, rhabdomyolysis, hepatomegaly, renal failure, ECG ST segment elevation, and/or cardiac failure)
• • Patient at risk for sensitivity to volatile halogenated anesthetic agents (known congenital Long QT Syndrome or patients taking drugs that can prolong the QT interval),
• • Patients with Perioperative Hyperkalemia (known neuromuscular disease, particularly Duchenne muscular dystrophy)