The EPigenetic Consequences in Children of Intravenous vs Volatile Anaesthesia for Surgery (EPIVA)
NCT ID: NCT05936853
Last Updated: 2025-06-15
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
NA
16 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2023-08-03
2026-09-30
Brief Summary
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Gene expression is the process by which instructions in DNA are used to make products such as proteins. Anaesthetic drugs may change how a child's genes are expressed; a process called epigenetics. Studies have shown that different anaesthetic drugs can cause epigenetic changes in animals and affect the processing ability of their brains.
This study will focus on children aged under 3 undergoing general anaesthesia for planned hypospadias surgery (a developmental condition where the look and function of the penis may not be completely normally). Participants will either receive their general anaesthetic in gas form or through directly into their veins - both techniques are commonly used. A small blood sample (between 1 and 2 teaspoons) will be collected at the start and end of the operation whilst under anaesthetic. Samples will be analysed to look for any changes in signals on DNA (epigenetic changes) and other markers. Further analysis may then look at other measures of gene expression and additional processes/markers that could be affected.
There is relatively less medical research carried out in children and this work will show whether this type of study is possible in this age-group and provide information for future trials. It will help towards improving our understanding of the effects of anaesthesia ultimately help doctors and families make better informed decisions.
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Detailed Description
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In 2016 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning regarding the use of anaesthetic drugs for children aged under 3 years, with the highest level of concern afforded to those who have prolonged and/or repeat exposures, showing the importance of this topic. This importance is further highlighted by the annual paediatric anaesthetic caseload - more than half a million children have an anaesthetic each year in the UK. There have been pre-clinical studies that have suggested that the way in which anaesthetic drugs can impact on neurodevelopment and cognition is through modifying the way in which genes are expressed by altering signals on DNA (epigenetics). This research aims to explore whether these changes in signals in DNA (epigenetic changes) can be seen in children undergoing anaesthesia and whether this is impacted by the type of anaesthetic given.
To do this, the trial has been designed as a randomised, clinical, feasibility trial in which participants undergoing hypospadias surgery will be randomised to one of the two anaesthetic maintenance approaches that are used routinely in clinical practice: intravenous or inhalational. Baseline data, including demographics, will be collected. On the day of their surgery, participants will receive maintenance of anaesthesia either through inhalational anaesthesia or intravenous anaesthesia according to allocation at randomisation - participants and their legal representatives will be blinded to group allocation and subsequent analysis will be performed with blinding to allocation. The participant will then be anaesthetised, and a baseline blood sample will be taken from the cannula that is routinely inserted into a vein to give medication to the patient. If this is not possible, the sample will be taken from a peripheral site. After the surgical procedure is complete and before the participant wakes up from general anaesthesia, a second blood will be taken. Blood will then undergo laboratory analysis including epigenetic, biochemical, haematological, and redox.
This trial has been designed as a feasibility trial to evaluate whether a larger scale trial looking at anaesthesia and surgery in relation to changes in markers on DNA (epigenetics) is both possible, and of value. Currently there have been no published studies looking at whether general anaesthesia can cause epigenetic changes in children, and whether the type of anaesthetic given has an impact on any changes present. There is significantly less published research in children as it necessitates many additional considerations; this is part of the rationale for this study being designed as a feasibility trial with the primary objective of assessing and determining the feasibility of conducting a paediatric perioperative epigenetics study in which participants are randomised to two methods of maintaining anaesthesia for surgery. Alongside measures such as recruitment and retention rate, screening numbers, protocol compliance figures, this objective will incorporate feedback on acceptability for participants and clinical staff, the success of the data management system used, and if any additional resources are required.
It has also been designed to address the secondary objectives of exploring whether anaesthesia and surgery are associated with epigenetic changes in whole blood, whether the strategy used to maintain anaesthesia impacts any epigenetic changes observed, and to identify which genes, pathways, and functional biological processes, may potentially be involved.
Those with day-to-day responsibility for trial conduct will either be Good Clinical Practice trained trial-team members, or members of the treating clinical team. The Sponsor will continue to have oversight of the trial throughout, and their representatives will communicate closely with the trial team. The end of the study is defined as completion of the full set of analyses of the blood samples taken from participants. The findings will be disseminated in both a timely and responsible manner amongst the relevant scientific community and shared in an appropriate fashion with the legal representatives of the children who took part after. Reporting of the findings may take the form of presentations at meetings/conferences alongside the writing of a manuscript for submission to a scientific journal.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
BASIC_SCIENCE
DOUBLE
To ensure blinding to arm allocation at the time of outcome analysis/assessment, each participant will also be given a separate 'unique sample identifier code' directly linked to their 'unique participant ID'. This link will not be known by members of the research team.
Study Groups
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Total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA)
This arm will receive maintenance of anaesthesia through a total intravenous anaesthesia approach (TIVA)
Intravenous approach to anaesthetic maintenance
Anaesthetic agents given directly into the bloodstream via a cannula.
Inhalational anaesthesia
This arm will receive maintenance of anaesthesia through an inhalational anaesthesia approach
Inhalational approach to anaesthetic maintenance
Volatile-based anaesthetic drugs are breathed in and then absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs.
Interventions
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Intravenous approach to anaesthetic maintenance
Anaesthetic agents given directly into the bloodstream via a cannula.
Inhalational approach to anaesthetic maintenance
Volatile-based anaesthetic drugs are breathed in and then absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Undergoing hypospadias surgery
* Maintenance phase of anaesthesia for procedure has an estimated length of ≥1 hour (established through MDT discussion prior to surgery).
* Completed informed consent form (ICF) from legal representative (LR (this is the person who is empowered to give informed consent on behalf of a participant. For most children this will be one or both parents. This may also be a guardian or custodian with legal custody)).
Exclusion Criteria
* Withdrawal of consent at any stage
* Previous exposure to general anaesthesia at any stage of life, including in-utero (through maternal exposure at any stage until delivery)
* Neurodevelopmental/neurodisability diagnosis (given or under investigation) from a paediatric service including autistic specturm disorder (ASD), attention deficit disorder (ADHD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy
* Known contraindication to either volatile-based inhalational anaesthesia or TIVA (surgery or participant)
* Clinician refusal
6 Months
3 Years
MALE
No
Sponsors
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University of Southampton
OTHER
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Principal Investigators
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Joseph Larvin, BMBCH
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University Hospital Southampton and University of Southampton
Locations
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University Hospital Southampton
Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Countries
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References
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Vutskits L, Xie Z. Lasting impact of general anaesthesia on the brain: mechanisms and relevance. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2016 Oct 18;17(11):705-717. doi: 10.1038/nrn.2016.128.
Vutskits L, Davidson A. Update on developmental anesthesia neurotoxicity. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2017 Jun;30(3):337-342. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000461.
Jevtovic-Todorovic V, Hartman RE, Izumi Y, Benshoff ND, Dikranian K, Zorumski CF, Olney JW, Wozniak DF. Early exposure to common anesthetic agents causes widespread neurodegeneration in the developing rat brain and persistent learning deficits. J Neurosci. 2003 Feb 1;23(3):876-82. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-03-00876.2003.
Brambrink AM, Back SA, Riddle A, Gong X, Moravec MD, Dissen GA, Creeley CE, Dikranian KT, Olney JW. Isoflurane-induced apoptosis of oligodendrocytes in the neonatal primate brain. Ann Neurol. 2012 Oct;72(4):525-35. doi: 10.1002/ana.23652.
DiMaggio C, Sun LS, Kakavouli A, Byrne MW, Li G. A retrospective cohort study of the association of anesthesia and hernia repair surgery with behavioral and developmental disorders in young children. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol. 2009 Oct;21(4):286-91. doi: 10.1097/ANA.0b013e3181a71f11.
Ing C, DiMaggio C, Whitehouse A, Hegarty MK, Brady J, von Ungern-Sternberg BS, Davidson A, Wood AJ, Li G, Sun LS. Long-term differences in language and cognitive function after childhood exposure to anesthesia. Pediatrics. 2012 Sep;130(3):e476-85. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3822. Epub 2012 Aug 20.
Hu D, Flick RP, Zaccariello MJ, Colligan RC, Katusic SK, Schroeder DR, Hanson AC, Buenvenida SL, Gleich SJ, Wilder RT, Sprung J, Warner DO. Association between Exposure of Young Children to Procedures Requiring General Anesthesia and Learning and Behavioral Outcomes in a Population-based Birth Cohort. Anesthesiology. 2017 Aug;127(2):227-240. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000001735.
Warner DO, Zaccariello MJ, Katusic SK, Schroeder DR, Hanson AC, Schulte PJ, Buenvenida SL, Gleich SJ, Wilder RT, Sprung J, Hu D, Voigt RG, Paule MG, Chelonis JJ, Flick RP. Neuropsychological and Behavioral Outcomes after Exposure of Young Children to Procedures Requiring General Anesthesia: The Mayo Anesthesia Safety in Kids (MASK) Study. Anesthesiology. 2018 Jul;129(1):89-105. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000002232.
Ko WR, Huang JY, Chiang YC, Nfor ON, Ko PC, Jan SR, Lung CC, Chang HC, Lin LY, Liaw YP. Risk of autistic disorder after exposure to general anaesthesia and surgery: a nationwide, retrospective matched cohort study. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2015 May;32(5):303-10. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000000130.
Sun LS, Li G, Miller TL, Salorio C, Byrne MW, Bellinger DC, Ing C, Park R, Radcliffe J, Hays SR, DiMaggio CJ, Cooper TJ, Rauh V, Maxwell LG, Youn A, McGowan FX. Association Between a Single General Anesthesia Exposure Before Age 36 Months and Neurocognitive Outcomes in Later Childhood. JAMA. 2016 Jun 7;315(21):2312-20. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6967.
Sury MR, Palmer JH, Cook TM, Pandit JJ. The state of UK anaesthesia: a survey of National Health Service activity in 2013. Br J Anaesth. 2014 Oct;113(4):575-84. doi: 10.1093/bja/aeu292. Epub 2014 Aug 7.
Milanovic D, Pesic V, Loncarevic-Vasiljkovic N, Avramovic V, Tesic V, Jevtovic-Todorovic V, Kanazir S, Ruzdijic S. Neonatal Propofol Anesthesia Changes Expression of Synaptic Plasticity Proteins and Increases Stereotypic and Anxyolitic Behavior in Adult Rats. Neurotox Res. 2017 Aug;32(2):247-263. doi: 10.1007/s12640-017-9730-0. Epub 2017 Apr 24.
Holtkamp C, Koos B, Unterberg M, Rahmel T, Bergmann L, Bazzi Z, Bazzi M, Bukhari H, Adamzik M, Rump K. A novel understanding of postoperative complications: In vitro study of the impact of propofol on epigenetic modifications in cholinergic genes. PLoS One. 2019 May 29;14(5):e0217269. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217269. eCollection 2019.
Bourgeois FT, Murthy S, Pinto C, Olson KL, Ioannidis JP, Mandl KD. Pediatric versus adult drug trials for conditions with high pediatric disease burden. Pediatrics. 2012 Aug;130(2):285-92. doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-0139. Epub 2012 Jul 23.
Joseph PD, Craig JC, Caldwell PH. Clinical trials in children. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2015 Mar;79(3):357-69. doi: 10.1111/bcp.12305.
Related Links
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FDA warning for drugs used for general anaesthesia
Other Identifiers
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RHM CRI0434
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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