The Risk of Surgical Cancellation in Adult Patients Assessed by Telephone Versus In-person for Scheduled Non-cardiac Elective Surgery.

April 29, 2026 updated by: Universidad de Antioquia

Telemedicine has been regulated in Colombia since 2006, with applications in anesthesia being explored since 2004 to improve accessibility and reduce costs. Although Decree 538 of 2020 expanded telemedicine's medical applications, challenges such as connectivity issues and training needs remain. Telemedicine has shown promise in rural areas of Colombia, particularly for managing chronic diseases. However, further evidence is needed regarding the effectiveness of telephone pre-anesthetic evaluations.

This study aims to investigate the implementation of telephone assessments for non-cardiac surgery and their impact on surgical cancellations compared to in-person pre-anesthetic evaluations. The primary question to answer is:

¿Does telephone pre-anesthetic assessment in non-cardiac surgical patients carry a higher risk of surgical cancellations compared to in-person evaluations?

To address this question, investigators will evaluate patients' medical records in two hospitals where patients were assessed using both telephone and in-person modalities.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, including its application in preoperative anesthesia evaluations. While the use of telephone assessments in anesthesiology is increasing, there is ongoing debate about their accuracy in identifying medical risks and predicting potential post-surgical outcomes. Preanesthetic evaluations are essential for determining patient suitability for surgery and for classifying surgical risk.

Despite the benefits of increased accessibility and cost reduction associated with telephone assessments, concerns persist regarding their ability to match the thoroughness of in-person evaluations. This is particularly relevant given the potential for higher rates of surgical cancellations.

In Colombia, telephone preanesthetic evaluations for non-cardiac elective surgeries are a recent development that may optimize resource use and enhance patient satisfaction. However, it is crucial to investigate whether they lead to a cancellation rate comparable to that of in-person assessments, as this could be a significant barrier to widespread implementation. This study examines the effectiveness of telephone assessments for non-cardiac surgeries and their impact on surgical cancellations compared to in-person preanesthetic evaluations. A secondary objective of the study is to evaluate the incidence of perioperative complications, including cardiovascular issues, pulmonary complications, bleeding, unexpected ICU admissions, and non-anticipated difficult airways.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

1176

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • Colombia
    • Antioquia
      • Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, 050001
        • University of Antioquia

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population includes adults aged 18 years and older scheduled for ambulatory elective non-cardiac surgeries at two healthcare institutions: Alma Mater Hospital of Antioquia and San Vicente Fundación University Hospital in Medellín.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients who were scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant patients.
  • Hospitalized patients

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Telephone pre-anesthetic evaluation
Surgical patients scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery underwent pre-anesthetic evaluation through a telephone consultation, which included a review of medical history, medications, and risk factors made by anesthesiologists. No physical examination was conducted.
In-Person pre-anesthetic evaluation
Surgical patients scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery received an in-person pre-anesthetic evaluation performed by an anesthesiologist, which included a physical examination and a thorough risk assessment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Surgical cancellation incidence
Time Frame: Pre-surgery
The incidence of surgical procedure cancellation because of a medical condition affecting the patient and the surgery.
Pre-surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of unanticipated difficult airway
Time Frame: During the surgery
Incidence of difficulties with facemask ventilation of the upper airway, tracheal intubation, or both.
During the surgery
Incidence of perioperative cardiovascular complications
Time Frame: Late postoperative (until 7 days after surgery)
Incidence of any perioperative cardiovascular complications during intraoperative or postoperative periods: all-cause death, sudden cardiac arrest, congestive heart failure, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), pulmonary embolism.
Late postoperative (until 7 days after surgery)
Incidence of postoperative mechanical ventilation
Time Frame: early postoperative (until 2 hours after surgery)
Incidence of postoperative mechanical ventilation.
early postoperative (until 2 hours after surgery)
Incidence of perioperative respiratory complications
Time Frame: Late postoperative (until 7 days after surgery)
The occurrence of respiratory complications in the perioperative period, including pneumonia, can happen within seven days following surgery
Late postoperative (until 7 days after surgery)
Incidence of unplanned ICU admission
Time Frame: early postoperative (until 2 hours after surgery)
Incidence of unplanned ICU admission in the postoperative
early postoperative (until 2 hours after surgery)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Universidad de Antioquia

Investigators

  • Study Director: Fabian D Casas, Professor, Universidad de Antioquia

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

January 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 12, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 15, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

November 18, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 29, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 16-2024

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

No

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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