Anästhesie in der Geburtshilfe: Altbewährtes, gegenwärtige Standards und neue Herausforderungen

[Selection of the optimal anesthesia regimen for cesarean section]

Approximately one third of all children in Germany are delivered by cesarean section. Depending on the individual patient's condition and the situation, the anesthesiologist has to choose between a general or a regional anesthesia regimen. The decisive factor for the selection is the obstetric urgency (decision-delivery time) after ascertainment of the indications. Furthermore, the need for postoperative analgesia varies depending on the chosen anesthesia regimen.

A non-interventional comparative study of the 20:1 combination of cafedrine/theodrenaline versus ephedrine for the treatment of intra-operative arterial hypotension: the 'HYPOTENS' study design and rationale

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effectiveness of 20:1 cafedrine/theodrenaline approved for use in Germany to ephedrine in the restoration of arterial blood pressure and on post-operative outcomes in patients with intra-operative arterial hypotension of any origin under standard clinical practice conditions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

'HYPOTENS' is a national, multi-center, prospective, open-label, two-armed, non-interventional study. Effectiveness and post-operative outcome following cafedrine/theodrenaline or ephedrine therapy will be evaluated in two cohorts of hypotensive patients. Cohort A includes patients aged ≥50 years with ASA-classification 2-4 undergoing non-emergency surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Cohort B comprises patients undergoing Cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Participating surgical departments will be assigned to a treatment arm by routinely used anti-hypotensive agent. To minimize bias, matched department pairs will be compared in a stratified selection process. The composite primary end-point is the lower absolute deviation from individually determined target blood pressure (IDTBP) and the incidence of heart rate ≥100 beats/min in the first 15 min. Secondary end-points include incidence and degree of early post-operative delirium (cohort A), severity of fetal acidosis in the newborn (cohort B), upper absolute deviation from IDTBP, percentage increase in systolic blood pressure, and time to IDTBP.

CONCLUSION

This open-label, non-interventional study design mirrors daily practice in the treatment of patients with intra-operative hypotension and ensures full treatment decision autonomy with respect to each patient's individual condition. Selection of participating sites by a randomization process addresses bias without interfering with the non-interventional nature of the study. First results are expected in 2018. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02893241; DRKS identifier: DRKS00010740.