About this trial
The electroencephalogram (EEG) measures brain waves during general anaesthesia via an electrode placed on the forehead. These brain waves show the different stages of natural sleep as well as the state of the brain when a patient is put under general anaesthesia for an operation. In this research project, the investigators aim to find out if the EEG signal shows slow wave activity (where an EEG wave repeats every 10 to 1 seconds) just before the onset of the burst suppression pattern, where the EEG waveform alternates between very small (suppression) and very large (burst) signals over a period of a few seconds. It is not currently known if and how often this occurs, but if it does, it would be a useful signal to help anaesthetists administer just the right dose of anaesthesia to patients.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
patients undergoing elective general anaesthesia, and
aged 60 or above, and
have a good comprehension of German, and
require a general anaesthesia length of at least 1 hour (to ensure that we can record enough good quality EEG signal).
Disqualifiers
patients undergoing head or neck surgery or surgery in prone or lateral decubitus position (due to the limited placement space on the forehead required for the two EEG electrode systems, limited access to the forehead during surgery), or
patients undergoing emergency surgery, operations only requiring local or regional anaesthesia with sedation, or
patients who cannot follow procedures, or have an inability to give consent, or
known participation in another human research project (ClinO/HRO) that may affect the objectives of this study.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Not listed
Trial groups
Sponsors and collaborators
Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
Lead sponsor
Kantonsspital Aarau
Collaborator
Hirslanden Clinic Aarau
Collaborator