Light Sedation or Intubated General Anesthesia in Patients With Brain Cancer Undergoing Craniotomy

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare the overall hospital length of stay (LOS) in patients undergoing craniotomy
with light sedation vs. general anesthesia.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare resource utilization between the two groups. II. To assess the frequency of
post-operative delirium. III. To measure patient perceptions. IV. To track patient
complications during hospital stay - nausea/vomiting, pain, hematology/lab stability,
hemodynamic stability.

V. To track re-admission and extended hospital stay rates. VI. To compare cost of both
approaches.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients receive light sedation (awake) and undergo craniotomy.

ARM II: Patients receive intubated general anesthesia and undergo craniotomy.

After completion of study, patients are followed up at 1month and 1 year.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Non-pregnant females

- Elective craniotomy for supratentorial brain tumors

- Primary brain cancer (presumed gliomas with no radiographic or clinical evidence of
metastatic disease to the brain)

- First craniotomy

- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-III

- Body mass index (BMI) < 35

Exclusion Criteria:

- Posterior fossa tumor/approach for tumor resection requiring the prone position

- Traumatic lesions/hematomas

- Emergency case

- Systemic disease burden with metastatic tumor to the brain

- Presence of medical co-morbidities, which, in the opinion of the investigator
complicates the surgical procedure or would require additional hospital stay

- Necessity of awake procedure requiring intraoperative participation of patient due to
the presence of the lesion in eloquent brain areas

- Prisoners

- Pregnant women