EASIX Score and Post-Induction Hypotension in Frail Patients Undergoing Non-Cardiac Surgery (PIXEL)

June 8, 2026 updated by: Mustafa Aydemir, Konya City Hospital

Evaluation of the Relationship Between Endothelial Activation and Stress Index (EASIX) and Post-Induction Hypotension in Frail Patients Undergoing Non-Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study

Post-induction hypotension (PIH) is a common and clinically significant hemodynamic complication following general anesthesia induction. Frail patients are particularly vulnerable due to impaired vascular reactivity and endothelial dysfunction. The Endothelial Activation and Stress Index (EASIX), calculated from routine laboratory parameters (LDH, creatinine, and platelet count), may serve as a preoperative biomarker to identify patients at risk for PIH.

This prospective observational cohort study aims to evaluate the association between preoperative EASIX score and the occurrence of post-induction hypotension in frail patients undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia. A total of 160 patients with a Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score of 4 or above will be enrolled. Mean arterial pressure will be measured every 2 minutes for the first 15 minutes after induction. PIH is defined as MAP below 65 mmHg and/or a decrease of 20% or more from baseline.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

EASIX is calculated as: LDH (U/L) × Creatinine (mg/dL) / Platelet count (10⁹/L), using routine preoperative laboratory values obtained within 24 hours before surgery.

All patients will receive a standardized anesthesia induction protocol: midazolam 0.05 mg/kg, fentanyl 2 mcg/kg, propofol 2 mg/kg, and rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg intravenously, followed by endotracheal intubation after 2 minutes of mask ventilation. Anesthesia maintenance will consist of 2% sevoflurane and remifentanil 0.2 mcg/kg/min infusion.

The primary outcome is the occurrence of PIH within the first 15 minutes after induction. Secondary outcomes include the diagnostic performance of EASIX (ROC-AUC analysis) and the interaction between frailty severity and EASIX on PIH development. Multivariable logistic regression will be performed adjusting for age, sex, ASA classification, baseline MAP, antihypertensive medication use, fasting duration, and induction agent doses.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

160

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 Locations

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

Adult frail patients (CFS score ≥4) scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia at Konya City Hospital Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation. Patients are consecutively enrolled during the preoperative assessment period.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia
  • Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score of 4 or above
  • Available routine preoperative laboratory values (LDH, creatinine, platelet count) within 24 hours before surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cardiac surgery
  • Emergency surgery
  • Preoperative vasopressor infusion
  • Severe hematological disease
  • Missing laboratory data required for EASIX calculation

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
Intervention / Treatment
Frail Patients Undergoing Non-Cardiac Surgery
Adult patients aged 18 years or older with a Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) score of 4 or above, scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia at Konya City Hospital. Preoperative EASIX score will be calculated from routine laboratory values (LDH, creatinine, platelet count) obtained within 24 hours before surgery. Post-induction hemodynamic data will be collected for the first 15 minutes after anesthesia induction.
Other: EASIX Score Assessment
Preoperative Endothelial Activation and Stress Index (EASIX) score calculated from routine laboratory parameters obtained within 24 hours before surgery. Formula: LDH (U/L) × Creatinine (mg/dL) / Platelet count (10⁹/L). No additional blood sampling is performed; only existing routine preoperative laboratory values are used.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of Post-Induction Hypotension
Time Frame: Within the first 15 minutes after anesthesia induction
Occurrence of MAP below 65 mmHg and/or a decrease of 20% or more from baseline mean arterial pressure, measured every 2 minutes for the first 15 minutes after anesthesia induction, before surgical incision.
Within the first 15 minutes after anesthesia induction

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diagnostic Performance of EASIX Score for Post-Induction Hypotension
Time Frame: Preoperative assessment within 24 hours before surgery
Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) and optimal cut-off value of preoperative EASIX score for predicting post-induction hypotension.
Preoperative assessment within 24 hours before surgery
Interaction Between Frailty Severity and EASIX on Post-Induction Hypotension
Time Frame: Within the first 15 minutes after anesthesia induction
Effect modification of frailty level (Clinical Frailty Scale score) on the association between preoperative EASIX score and post-induction hypotension, evaluated by multivariable logistic regression with interaction term.
Within the first 15 minutes after anesthesia induction

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Konya City Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mustafa Aydemir, MD, Konya City Hospital

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 (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PIXEL-EASIX-PIH-2026

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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