The Effect of Omega 3 Supplementation on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Major Cardiac Surgery

May 7, 2026 updated by: Quinn Johnson, University of Missouri-Columbia

The Effect of Omega 3 Supplementation on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Major Cardiac Surgery: a Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study is to determine whether giving omega-3 fatty acids prior to and after cardiac bypass surgeries decreases the incidence of postoperative delirium in patients aged 65 and over.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Patients aged 65 years and over requiring elective cardiac bypass surgeries will receive either 0, 2, or 4 grams of omega-3 ethyl esters before their surgery and for 3 days postoperatively to determine whether there is an affect on the incidence of postoperative delirium. All patients will receive hospital standard of care therapy for their surgery and hospital stay.

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.
1

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.
  • Phase 2

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
    • Missouri
      • Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65212
        • University Hospital

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

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 65 years
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Class Physical Status I-IV

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to obtain written informed consent.
  • Inability to take study drug due to intubation or other reason.
  • Delirium present at screening.
  • Known hypersensitivity (e.g. anaphylactic reaction) to omega-3 ethyl esters or any of its components
  • Allergy to fish or shellfish
  • Currently taking warfarin (Coumadin), apixaban (Eliquis), dabigatran (Pradaxa), edoxaban (Savaysa/Lixiana), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), or other anticoagulant drugs.
  • Currently taking omega-3, omega-6, vitamin E, or fish oil supplements.
  • Significant renal disease with a serum creatinine ≥ 2 mg/dL.
  • Significant liver disease with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels 1.5 times the normal range of 6-45 units/liter and aspartate transferase (AST) levels 1.5 times the normal range of 10-42 units/liter.
  • History or diagnosis of diabetes.
  • History or diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, or dementia.
  • History or diagnosis of bleeding disorder.
  • History or diagnosis of metabolic syndrome or disorder.
  • History or diagnosis of thyroid problems such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.

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: Prevention
  • 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.
Experimental: Omega-3 Ethyl Esters 4 g
Patients will be given 4 grams of omega-3 ethyl esters orally before surgery and for 3 days postoperatively.
Drug: Omega-3 Ethyl Esters 4 g
4 grams = 4 capsules, once daily
Other Names:
  • Lovaza
  • Omega-3 ethyl esters
Experimental: Omega-3 Ethyl Esters 2 g
Patients will be given 2 grams of omega-3 ethyl esters orally before surgery and for 3 days postoperatively.
Drug: Omega-3 Ethyl Esters 2 g
2 grams = 2 capsules, once daily
Other Names:
  • Lovaza
  • Omega-3 ethyl esters
No Intervention: Standard of Care
Patients will not receive any study drug.

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
Presence of Postoperative Delirium
Time Frame: From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.
Number of patients that experienced postoperative delirium during the study.
From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.

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
Postoperative Delirium Symptoms
Time Frame: From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.
Presence of any postoperative delirium symptoms during patient's hospital stay.
From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.
Length of Stay
Time Frame: From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.
Number of days patient stayed in hospital from the time of admission to discharge.
From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.
Amount of Pain Medication Given Postoperatively
Time Frame: From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.
Average morphine milligram equivalents given to patients postoperatively until their discharge from the hospital.
From the date of surgery until the patient is discharged, up to 30 days.
Type of Anesthesia Used
Time Frame: During surgery, up to 24 hours
Number of patients administered anesthesia using mainly propofol or sevoflurane.
During surgery, up to 24 hours

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 Missouri-Columbia

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: Quinn Johnson, MD, University of Missouri-Columbia

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.
March 3, 2026

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.
April 29, 2026

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.
April 29, 2026

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).
May 9, 2024

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.
May 29, 2024

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.
May 30, 2024

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.
May 11, 2026

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.
May 7, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • 2099184

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.

Yes

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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