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A phase III, seven-day randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study to assess efficacy of Donepezil for reducing the incidence and severity of Post-Operative Delirium after an elective total hip or knee replacement in patients over 65 years old
ISRCTN ISRCTN55655483
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier
Public title A phase III, seven-day randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study to assess efficacy of Donepezil for reducing the incidence and severity of Post-Operative Delirium after an elective total hip or knee replacement in patients over 65 years old
Scientific title
Acronym DPOD III
Serial number at source DPOD III
Study hypothesis Patients who are treated with 5 mg of Donepezil (DPZ) for seven days after an elective total hip or knee replacement will show a reduced incidence of delirium.

Please note that this trial record was updated on 12/09/2008. As of this update date, the start date of the trial was updated (initial anticipated start date: 09/07/2007); due to several changes of sponsor, the study has been delayed and is currently on temporary hold. Estimated completion date is now December 2009 (initial anticipated end date: 30/06/2008). The initial sponsor was University College London Clinical Research Management Centre (UCL CRMC) (UK) and the sponsorship is currently being transferred to Imperial College London.
Ethics approval Charing Cross Research Ethics Committee granted approval on the 25th July 2007 (ref: 07/Q0411/61)
Study design Double-blind, parallel group, single-centre study of seven days of post-operative donepezil or placebo after an elective total hip or knee replacement in patients over 65 years old
Countries of recruitment United Kingdom
Disease/condition/study domain Post-operative delirium
Participants - inclusion criteria 1. Awaiting elective total hip or knee replacement
2. 65 years old or over
3. Valid written informed consent
Participants - exclusion criteria 1. Subjects with delirium as defined by the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)
2. Subjects undergoing revision/complex hip/knee surgery
3. Subjects who are deaf, visually impaired or have insufficient English to the extent where they cannot complete the study assessments
4. Subjects with moderately severe cognitive impairment at baseline (i.e. Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE] less than 20)
5. Subjects with alcohol dependence syndrome (International Classification of Diseases [ICD-10] definition)
6. Subjects with severe nausea and vomiting precluding the use of DPZ
7. Subjects currently taking cholinesterase inhibitors
8. Subjects taking antipsychotic/neuroleptic medication that may mask symptoms of delirium
9. Hypnotics or anxiolytics initiated less than a month ago
10. Subjects with a known hypersensitivity to DPZ (piperidine derivatives or any excipients used in its formulation – or that of the placebo)
11. Severe bladder outflow obstruction
12. Spinal anaesthesia during surgery
13. Subjects with cardiac problems that contraindicate the prescription of cholinesterase inhibitors:
13.1. Sick sinus syndrome
13.2. Resting pulse of less than 50
13.3. Supraventricular conduction defects
Anticipated start date 20/03/2008
Anticipated end date 01/12/2009
Status of trial Stopped
Patient information material
Target number of participants 300 randomised
Interventions 5 mg of donepezil (DPZ) or matched placebo once daily for seven days.
Primary outcome measure(s) The primary endpoint of the study will be the incidence of post-operative delirium. Patients will be considered as a case of delirium if at any point during the course of follow up (to Day seven) they develop an episode of delirium. A risk ratio will be calculated.

Delirium will be diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) as the primary outcome variable. This is the most widely used instrument for the detection of delirium in the acute hospital setting. It has a sensitivity of 94-100% and a specificity of 90-95% and generates a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM IV) diagnosis of delirium.
Secondary outcome measure(s) 1. The severity of delirium: severity of delirium will be measured by the Delirium Symptom Index (DSI) post- operatively twice a day (morning and afternoon) up to day six. The DSI is a seven item clinician rated scale which measures the severity of delirium and is sensitive to change. It has good internal consistency and inter-rater reliability
2. Length of delirium: this will be measured as the total number of days on which a patient achieves DSM IV “caseness” for delirium using the CAM. It will be considered that the patient has had delirium that day if either of the two assessments in a 24-hour period were positive for delirium
3. Presence of subsyndromal delirium and behavioural symptoms: this will be measured using the CAM and be defined as any symptoms of new disorientation, disturbance of attention or perceptual or behavioural disturbance that do not meet the full criteria for delirium
4. Changes in cognition: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) will be used post- operatively once a day (morning up to day six). This is the most widely used screening test for cognitive impairment. It has a maximum score of 30 and assesses a range of cognitive skills. The MMSE has high inter-rater reliability (0.8)
5. Length of hospital stay: this outcome will indicate whether delirium prophylaxis using DPZ may have health economic benefits. Length of hospital stay will be measured in days
Sources of funding Eisai Europe Ltd (UK)
Trial website
Publications
Contact name Dr  Craig  Ritchie
  Address Department of Psychological Medicine
Division of Neurosciences and Mental Health
Imperial College London
Claybrook Centre
Charing Cross Campus
St Dunstan's Road
  City/town London
  Zip/Postcode W6 8RP
  Country United Kingdom
Sponsor Imperial College London (UK)
  Address Faculty of Medicine
G02 Sir Alexander Fleming Building
South Kensington Campus
  City/town London
  Zip/Postcode SW7 2AZ
  Country United Kingdom
  Sponsor website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk
Date applied 01/06/2007
Last edited 12/09/2008
Date ISRCTN assigned 12/06/2007
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