Norepinephrine vs Phenylephrine During General Anesthesia

Summary

50 million patients undergo surgery each year in the United States. Postoperative mortality is considered the third leading cause of death worldwide. Hypotension during surgery have been linked to increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. Episodes of hypotension during surgery are associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury, stroke, cardiac events and death. Treating or preventing hypotension during general anesthesia and major surgery was found to improve outcomes. At this time, it is unclear what is the best vasopressor to maintain blood pressure during surgery under general anesthesia. With this pilot pragmatic trial, the investigators will explore the impact of norepinephrine (NE) or phenylephrine (PE) on post-operative events in patients undergoing major surgery with general anesthesia and needing vasopressors infusion to maintain their systemic arterial pressure.

Timeline

Start

2021-07-01

Primary completion

2022-04-01

Completion

2022-04-01

Publications

• Results Legrand M, Kothari R, Fong N, Palaniappa N, Boldt D, Chen LL, Kurien P, Gabel E, Sturgess-DaPrato J, Harhay MO, Pirracchio R, Bokoch MP; VEGA-1 trial investigators. Norepinephrine versus phenylephrine for treating hypotension during general anaesthesia in adult patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery: a multicentre, open-label, cluster-randomised, crossover, feasibility, and pilot trial. Br J Anaesth. 2023 May;130(5):519-527. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.02.004. Epub 2023 Mar 14.
• Krone S, Bokoch MP, Kothari R, Fong N, Tallarico RT, Sturgess-DaPrato J, Pirracchio R, Zarbock A, Legrand M. Association between peripheral perfusion index and postoperative acute kidney injury in major noncardiac surgery patients receiving continuous vasopressors: a post hoc exploratory analysis of the VEGA-1 trial. Br J Anaesth. 2024 Apr;132(4):685-694. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.11.054. Epub 2024 Jan 19.

Drugs

Indications