Comparison of Two Intravenous Drug Combinations for Ambulatory Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

March 25, 2026 updated by: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
The purpose of this pilot study was to compare two commonly employed intravenous drug combinations; I) nitrous oxide, midazolam, fentanyl, and ketamine and II) the same combination with substitution of propofol for ketamine, for use during wisdom teeth extraction. Measures of recovery, amnesia testing 20 minutes after induction and after completion of recovery tests, patient satisfaction, and surgeon satisfaction will be evaluated. The data from this pilot study will be used to obtain preliminary estimates of effect sizes and to select primary and secondary endpoints for the design of a larger scale and more definitive trial of the two anesthetic approaches.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The widespread application of various ambulatory anesthetic techniques has paralleled the rapid rise of ambulatory surgery. It has been estimated that over half of all elective surgery is performed in an ambulatory setting. In addition, well over 3,000,000 intravenous sedations are administered in dental offices annually where local anesthesia is obtainable to control intraoperative pain. These intravenous sedation techniques have historically been an integral part of pain and anxiety control in the dental setting and have now gained widespread application in all of ambulatory surgery. A number of intravenous anesthetic techniques have been developed to achieve sedation levels ranging from conscious sedation where patients respond purposefully to verbal commands to deep sedation where patients cannot be easily aroused and protective reflexes may be altered. The goal of all of these techniques is to create a comfortable environment for the patient and a cooperative patient for the surgeon. Ideal technique should pose minimal physiologic challenge to the patient while providing amnesia for the procedure. Most of the intravenous sedation techniques in widespread use include a combination of drugs. These combinations function in an additive if not synergistic way. The pharmacological properties of their constituents achieve this ideal. The most frequently used drug when used alone and the most common to the various combinations is midazolam, a benzodiazepine. Midazolam has been shown to provide safe sedation with reliable anterograde amnesia. The duration of these effects is dose dependent. A short acting narcotic, usually fentanyl, is often times included to increase sedation levels and to add a modicum of analgesia. Other short acting agents can also be included to deepen the sedation level. These agents are usually added in incremental doses as the surgical setting requires. Both propofol and ketamine can induce general anesthesia but in significantly smaller doses provide additional sedation. These two agents come from different drug classes. Proponents of each cite advantages and disadvantages. Nitrous oxide is also commonly used in the dental setting.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

73

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • The Bronx, New York, United States, 10461
        • NYCHHC - Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx 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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) health class I or II
  • Existing clinical population

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Do not meet the Inclusion Criteria

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Ketamine Group
  1. Midazolam 0.05 mg/kg - rounded to closest ½ mg
  2. Fentanyl 50 micrograms (mcg) for patients less than or equal to 70kg and 75 mcg for those over 70 kg
  3. Ketamine 0.3 mg/kg - rounded to closest 5 mg (i.e., 70 kg patient - 3.5mg Midazolam, 50 mcg Fentanyl, 20 mg Ketamine)
  4. Additional intermittent dosage of Ketamine - 15 mg per surgeon's request

All patients receive 40% nitrous oxide/oxygen, as per standard clinical care. All of the drugs are being used per label.
Drug: Midazolam Hydrochloride
Short-acting sedative. Benzodiazepine. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibitor
Other Names:
  • Versed
Drug: Fentanyl
Synthetic opioid drug used as an analgesic.
Other Names:
  • (N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4piperidinyl]propanamide); Sublimaze, Actiq, Duragesic, Abstral, Subsys, and Ionsys
Drug: Ketamine
General Anesthetic. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor agonist
Other Names:
  • Ketalar
Drug: Nitrous oxide
Modulates a wide range of ligand-gated ion channels and inhibits NMDA receptor-mediated currents
Other Names:
  • Nitrous, laughing gas
Active Comparator: Propofol Group
  1. Midazolam 0.05 mg/kg - rounded to closest ½ mg
  2. Fentanyl 50 mcg for patients less than or equal to 70 kg and 75 mcg for those over 70 kg
  3. Propofol 0.3 mg/kg - rounded to closest 5 mg (i.e., 70 kg patient - 3.5 mg Midazolam, 50 micrograms Fentanyl, 20 mg Propofol)
  4. Additional intermittent dosage of Propofol - 15 mg per surgeon's request

All patients receive 40% nitrous oxide/oxygen, as per standard clinical care. All of the drugs are being used per label.
Drug: Midazolam Hydrochloride
Short-acting sedative. Benzodiazepine. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibitor
Other Names:
  • Versed
Drug: Fentanyl
Synthetic opioid drug used as an analgesic.
Other Names:
  • (N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4piperidinyl]propanamide); Sublimaze, Actiq, Duragesic, Abstral, Subsys, and Ionsys
Drug: Nitrous oxide
Modulates a wide range of ligand-gated ion channels and inhibits NMDA receptor-mediated currents
Other Names:
  • Nitrous, laughing gas
Drug: Propofol injection
General Anesthetic. GABA receptor modulator and calcium channel blocker
Other Names:
  • 2,6-diisopropylphenol; Diprivan

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: Postoperatively, approximately 1 hour on day of procedure
Patient satisfaction was assessed using a patient evaluation survey administered following the procedure just prior to discharge. The survey consisted of 3 questions, 1 categorical and 2 ordinal. For purposes of this study, the 2 ordinal measures: "How do you feel now?" and "I would recommend this type of intravenous sedation to my family/friends" will be scored from 1-3 and 1-4, respectively for an overall possible scoring range of 2-7. Higher scores are associated with increased patient satisfaction. Satisfaction scores will be summarized by study arm.
Postoperatively, approximately 1 hour on day of procedure
Surgeon Satisfaction
Time Frame: Postoperatively, approximately 1 hour
Surgeon satisfaction will be assessed by a surgeon's satisfaction survey administered following the procedure. The survey consisted of 3 questions which asked the surgeon to assess their level of satisfaction with the sedation regimen during local anesthesia, during the surgery, and overall satisfaction. Each of the three were rated as 1 ("Poor"), 2 ("Adequate"), or 3 ("Excellent") for an overall possible scoring range of 3-9. Higher scores are associated with increased surgeon satisfaction. Surgeon satisfaction scores will be summarized by study arm.
Postoperatively, approximately 1 hour
Recovery - Paper Test
Time Frame: Change from preoperatively to postoperatively, approximately 2-3 hours total on day of procedure
Recovery will be assessed using a simple repeated measure paper and pencil test (PS Form 9a). This test presented participants with 25 rows of numbers. Each row consisted of a circled number at the beginning of the string of numbers. Patients were asked to cross out each number in a row that is like the circled number. The number of successfully completed rows were tabulated for each patient and change from baseline was summarized by study arm.
Change from preoperatively to postoperatively, approximately 2-3 hours total on day of procedure
Recovery - One Leg Standing Test
Time Frame: Change from preoperatively to postoperatively, approximately 2-3 hours total on day of procedure
Recovery will also be assessed by way of a 30 second one leg standing test administered prior to and following induction of anesthesia. The percentage of participants who are able to stand for at least 30 seconds will be summarized by study arm.
Change from preoperatively to postoperatively, approximately 2-3 hours total on day of procedure
Amnesia - Visual Stimuli
Time Frame: Intraoperatively and postoperatively, up to 1-2 hours on day of procedure
Amnesia will be evaluated by interrupting the procedure momentarily at specific intervals (approximately 20 minutes after induction and after completion of recovery test). Amnesia for visual stimuli will be assessed by having the patient verbally identify common objects (i.e., cup, pen, tape, and keys) presented during surgery. Patients will be asked to recall the items postoperatively. Recall of visual stimuli will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics.
Intraoperatively and postoperatively, up to 1-2 hours on day of procedure
Amnesia - Tactile Stimuli
Time Frame: Intraoperatively and postoperatively, up to 1-2 hours on day of procedure
Amnesia will be evaluated by interrupting the procedure momentarily at specific intervals (approximately 20 minutes after induction and after completion of recovery test). Amnesia for tactile stimuli will be assessed by touching the patient with a pin on one of their four limbs and asking for recall. Recall of tactile stimuli will be summarized by study arm using basic descriptive statistics.
Intraoperatively and postoperatively, up to 1-2 hours on day of procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Stephen S Gelfman, MD, DDS, New York City Health and Hospitals (NYCHHC)

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)

October 4, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 10, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

June 10, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 5, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 10, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 25, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2014-3556

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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