Monitor-Guided Analgesia During General Anesthesia - Part I

This prospective randomized clinical study aims to investigate the effects of a monitor-guided opioid analgesia during general anesthesia by different monitoring systems in comparison to routine clinical practice. Many surgical procedures require general anesthesia. The main components of general anesthesia are hypnosis and analgesia, and anesthesiologists usually combine a hypnotic drug with an opioid analgesic.

Until today, however, there is no standard-monitoring of nociception to specifically reflect the analgesic component of general anesthesia. In clinical practice the opioid dosage is chosen by clinical judgment of the attending anesthesiologist based upon changes of heart rate, blood pressure, pupil size, lacrimation and sweating of the patient.

On the one hand, underdosage of opioids can cause nociception leading to an increased sympathetic tone, increase of plasma levels of stress hormones, nociceptive movements as well as increase postoperative pain. On the other hand, overdosage of opioids can lead to drug side effects such as nausea and vomiting, hemodynamic instability, an increase in recovery times, immunosuppression and an increase in postoperative pain by opioid-induced-hyperalgesia. Quality and safety of general anesthesia are of major clinical importance and can be improved by limiting the administration of opioid analgesics to the optimal individual dose needed. In the last years, different analgesia monitoring devices have been developed for monitoring nociception. The present study evaluates the effects of the administration of opioids during general anesthesia guided by three different monitoring systems in comparison to routine clinical practice. After institutional approval by the Ethics committee of the Medical Board of the City of Hamburg, Germany and obtaining patients' written informed consent the investigators randomize elective patients with major abdominal surgery for open radical prostatectomy into one of four treatment groups.

Inclusion criteria

• Radical open abdominal prostatectomy scheduled in the operation theater where the study is conducted
• > 18 years

Exclusion criteria

• Chronic pain therapy, e.g. out-of-hospital opioid therapy
• Beta blocker and digitalis therapy
• Eye disease with affection of pupil reactivity
• Pacemaker therapy
• Higher degrees of cardiac arrhythmias, e.g. atrial fibrillation
• Pre-operative medication with steroids