Anesthesia sTrategy foR Organ Procurement In braiN dEath

Recruiting now · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Brain-dead Organ Donors

In brief

The optimal anesthetic strategy during organ procurement in brain-dead donors remains unknown. The administration of anesthetic drugs in this setting aims to preserve hemodynamic stability in the face of reflex responses mediated by preserved spinal activity. Volatile anesthetics may blunt these reflexes, but their potential benefits in this context have never been investigated. This randomized trial evaluates the effects of volatile anesthesia (sevoflurane), opioid administration (sufentanil), or no anesthetic drugs on intraoperative hemodynamic stability during organ procurement in brain-dead donors. The primary outcome is the proportion of operative time within a predefined arterial blood pressure range.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07166991

Run by

University Hospital, Grenoble

People needed

270

Starts

2026-02-17

Expected to finish

2029-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-23

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Eligible adult brain-dead donor hospitalized in intensive care unit in one of the participating center:
• Confirmed diagnosis of brain death according to French public health code.
• Ongoing organ donation procedure managed by the local organ procurement coordination team with confirmation of the potential procurement of at least one intra-abdominal or intra-thoracic organ.
• Transfer to the operating room for the organ procurement procedure scheduled for the next 6 hours and anesthesia team alerted.
• Information of the patient's next of kin by the investigator and absence of opposition to research confirmed by the testimony of the next of kin according to French public health code.

You may not qualify if…

• Age < 18 years.
• DCD (donation after circulatory death) donors.
• Ongoing extracorporeal circulation at the time of death.
• Hemodynamic instability at the screening visit defined by a noradrenalin dose > 1 µg/kg/min.
• Contraindication to the implementation of the anesthetic interventions evaluated in the trial:
• Prior history of opioid or volatil anesthetic agents allergy.
• Prior personal or family history of malignant hyperthermia or history of myopathy at risk of malignant hyperthermia.
• Opposition to the research expressed by the patient during his or her lifetime and documented by the next of kin.

Where it is running

• CHU Grenoble Alpes — Grenoble, France (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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