Fentanyl Effect on Blood Pressure in Elderly Patients After Induction of General Anesthesia
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Hypotension is frequently encountered after induction of general anesthesia. It can be
pronounced in elderly patients and can require administration of vasopressor agents including
ephedrine and phenylephrine. Intraoperative hypotension, especially prolonged episodes, can
contribute to an increase in morbidity and mortality in the postoperative period as suggested
by some former studies. The investigators hypothesize that fentanyl can contribute to the
decrease in blood pressure (BP) that is seen after induction of general anesthesia in older
patients. This hypotension may be due to fentanyl blocking effect on the sympathetic nervous
system.
This study will be the first one to examine the effect of fentanyl administration on blood
pressure in elderly patients with induction of general anesthesia prior to the start of
surgery. If the study shows that fentanyl contributes to hypotension during this period, it
may lead to a change in practice and better patient outcomes and mortality rates.