Remimazolam for Reducing Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Gastrectomy

September 15, 2026 updated by: Xiongxiong Pan, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University

Effect of Remimazolam on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Radical Gastrectomy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

This prospective, single-center, randomized, participant- and outcome assessor-blinded, parallel-group controlled trial evaluated whether remimazolam-based anesthesia reduced postoperative delirium (POD) and improved peri-induction hemodynamic stability compared with propofol-midazolam-based anesthesia in patients aged 65 years or older undergoing elective laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. A total of 147 participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio. Standardized perioperative management, BIS-guided anesthetic depth control, and postoperative analgesia were applied in both groups. The primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of POD during postoperative days 1-3, assessed once daily using the 3D-CAM or CAM-ICU by trained outcome assessors blinded to treatment allocation. Secondary outcomes included post-induction hypotension, peri-induction hemodynamic variables, postoperative recovery, pain scores, and adverse events.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This prospective, single-center, randomized, participant- and outcome assessor-blinded, parallel-group controlled trial was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 21 and August 5, 2026. Patients aged 65 years or older who were scheduled to undergo elective laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer were screened for eligibility. A total of 147 participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either remimazolam-based anesthesia or propofol-midazolam-based anesthesia. Randomization was based on a computer-generated sequence, with allocation concealed using sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes. Participants and postoperative outcome assessors were blinded to treatment allocation, whereas the attending anesthesiologists administering the allocated anesthetic regimen were not blinded.

Standardized perioperative monitoring and management were applied in both groups, including bispectral index-guided anesthetic depth control, opioid analgesia, neuromuscular blockade, controlled ventilation, vasoactive medication titration, and postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia. Postoperative delirium was assessed once daily between 14:00 and 17:00 on postoperative days 1-3. Ward patients were assessed using the 3-Minute Diagnostic Interview for Confusion Assessment Method, whereas patients admitted to the intensive care unit were assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit.

The original protocol specified standardized delirium assessment through postoperative day 5. Owing to limited research personnel during trial implementation, standardized assessments could only be consistently completed through postoperative day 3. Therefore, the primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of POD during postoperative days 1-3, and no assumptions were made regarding delirium status on postoperative days 4 and 5. Secondary outcomes included post-induction hypotension, maximum reduction in mean arterial pressure from baseline, peri-induction vasoactive drug requirements, peri-induction mean arterial pressure, heart rate and bispectral index trajectories, time to extubation, length of stay in the post-anesthesia care unit and hospital, postoperative pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting, PACU hypoxemia, emergence agitation, unplanned intensive care unit admission, and postoperative pulmonary infection.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

147

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

  • China
    • Jiangsu
      • Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
        • The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University

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

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 65 years.
  • Body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 28 kg/m².
  • ASA physical status I-III.
  • Scheduled for elective laparoscopic radical gastrectomy under general anesthesia at Jiangsu Province Hospital.
  • Able and willing to sign informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, or hepatic dysfunction.
  • Stroke within the past 6 months or other central nervous system diseases.
  • History of schizophrenia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, myasthenia gravis, or other psychiatric disorders.
  • History of alcohol abuse or psychoactive substance dependence.
  • Severe visual, hearing, or language impairment preventing communication.
  • Allergy or contraindication to propofol or benzodiazepines.
  • Preoperative cognitive impairment assessed by MMSE (≤24 for ≥middle-school education; ≤20 for primary school; ≤17 for no formal education).
  • Participation in another drug clinical trial within 1 month before surgery.

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Remimazolam Group
Participants in this group will receive remimazolam for anesthesia induction and maintenance during laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.
Drug: Remimazolam
Remimazolam will be used as the primary anesthetic agent for induction and maintenance. Dosage will be adjusted to maintain BIS between 40 and 60.
Active Comparator: Propofol Group
Participants in this group will receive propofol for anesthesia induction and maintenance during laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.
Drug: Propofol
Propofol will be used as the primary anesthetic agent for induction and maintenance. Dosage will be adjusted to maintain BIS between 40 and 60.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
incidence of Postoperative Delirium
Time Frame: From postoperative Day 1 to Day 3
Postoperative delirium will be assessed using the 3D-CAM diagnostic tool by trained evaluators blinded to group assignment. Delirium will be identified based on the presence of acute onset/fluctuation, inattention, altered consciousness, or disorganized thinking, following the standard 3D-CAM algorithm.
From postoperative Day 1 to Day 3

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Emergence Agitation
Time Frame: Immediately after extubation until PACU discharge
Emergence agitation will be assessed in the PACU using the RASS or agitation scale by blinded evaluators.
Immediately after extubation until PACU discharge
Time to extubation
Time Frame: At the end of surgery
Time from discontinuation of anesthetic agents to successful tracheal extubation.
At the end of surgery
Postoperative Pain Score
Time Frame: At PACU discharge; postoperative day 1,day 2,and day 3.
Pain itensity will be evaluated using the Numerical Rating Scale(NRS,0-10)
At PACU discharge; postoperative day 1,day 2,and day 3.
Post-induction Hypotension
Time Frame: From completion of anesthetic induction to 10 minutes after induction.
Post-induction hypotension will be defined as a decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP) to <65 mmHg or a reduction of ≥30% from baseline within the first 10 minutes after anesthetic induction.
From completion of anesthetic induction to 10 minutes after induction.
Incidence of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Time Frame: From surgery until 48 hours postoperatively
Postoperative nausea and vomiting assessed as the presence or absence based on patient reports and medical records during the postoperative period.
From surgery until 48 hours postoperatively
Length of Hospital Stay(days)
Time Frame: From the day of surgery (Day 0) to the date of hospital discharge (expected within 7-14 days postoperatively)
Length of hospital stay is defined as the number of calendar days from the date of surgery (Day 0) until the date of hospital discharge , as recorded in the electronic medical record system
From the day of surgery (Day 0) to the date of hospital discharge (expected within 7-14 days postoperatively)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University

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 21, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 25, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

August 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 14, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 15, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025-SR-1025

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

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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