Vasopressor Outcomes in Spine Surgery (V-SPINE)

December 22, 2025 updated by: Siddharth Dave, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
This is a prospective, randomized control trial comparing norepinephrine versus phenylephrine for vasopressor support in patients undergoing elective spinal fusion surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

There is limited evidence on the difference in postoperative outcomes between the choices of vasopressors used to treat intraoperative hypotension (IOH) in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia. A recent pilot feasibility trial comparing norepinephrine and phenylephrine for first-line intravenous infusion of vasopressor during general anesthesia and major non-cardiac surgery was unable to show any difference in postoperative outcomes. Although the study demonstrated safety and feasibility, it was not powered to detect differences in postoperative outcomes. The impact of vasopressors on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing complex spinal surgery in the prone position is even scarcer. While it has been demonstrated that the use of intra-operative vasopressor infusion is safe and well tolerated, without any adverse renal outcomes, it is unclear if the choice of vasopressor makes any difference. While animal studies have shown that norepinephrine may provide greater spinal cord protection than phenylephrine, clinical studies in humans are lacking. We aim to fill this gap in knowledge by carrying out a prospective, randomized control trial to evaluate differential outcomes related to the choice of norepinephrine versus phenylephrine as the preferential vasopressor in patients undergoing elective spinal fusion surgery in the prone position.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
101

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75235
        • Clements University Hospital at Dallas

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

-Patients > 18 years undergoing elective, prone, spinal fusion surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age < 18 years
  • Emergency surgery
  • Outpatient surgery
  • Pregnancy
  • End-stage renal disease requiring dialysis
  • Diagnosed myocardial ischemia and/or cardiac revascularization within the past month

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Phenylephrine
Patients receiving phenylephrine for intraoperative hypotension
Drug: Phenylephrine
Intraoperative phenylephrine infusion Phenylephrine infusion to be titrated as needed to target a mean arterial pressure (MAP) > 65 mm Hg.
Active Comparator: Norepinephrine
Patients receiving norepinephrine for intraoperative hypotension
Drug: Norepinephrine
Intraoperative norepinephrine infusion Norepinephrine infusion to be titrated as needed to target a MAP > 65 mm Hg.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vasopressor requirement
Time Frame: During inpatient admission
Total intraoperative vasopressor requirement
During inpatient admission

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Intraoperative transfusion requirement
Time Frame: During inpatient admission
During inpatient admission
Postoperative vasopressor requirement
Time Frame: During inpatient admission
During inpatient admission
Length of ICU stay
Time Frame: During inpatient admission
During inpatient admission
30-day readmission
Time Frame: 30-days post-discharge
30-days post-discharge
Postoperative Myocardial Injury
Time Frame: During inpatient admission
Troponin elevation (ng/L)
During inpatient admission
Postoperative Lactate Elevation
Time Frame: During inpatient admission
Lactate (mmol/L)
During inpatient admission
Postoperative acute kidney injury
Time Frame: During inpatient admission

Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is defined as any of the following:

  1. Increase in serum creatinine (sCr) ≥0.3 mg/dL (≥26.5 μmol/L) within 48 hours; or
  2. Increase in sCr ≥1.5 times baseline, which is known or presumed to have occurred within the prior 7 days; or
  3. Urine volume <0.5 mL/kg/h for 6 hours
During inpatient admission
Length of hospital stay
Time Frame: From admission to discharge (up to 100 weeks)
From admission to discharge (up to 100 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Siddharth Dave, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 21, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 30, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 31, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 22, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 25, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 30, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 22, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STU-2023-0326

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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