We are excited to announce that Drs. Sachin Kheterpal  (University of Michigan) and Michael Avidan (Washington University) have been awarded a contract from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to lead a multicenter team that will compare the recovery trajectories of general anesthesia using TIVA vs. inhaled volatile anesthetic agents.  Each technique has been used for decades, has established efficacy, has similar financial costs, is used daily in every surgery center in the United States, and is within the skillset of every anesthesia clinician. The study aims to clarify if these two different anesthesia techniques result in different patterns of physical, cognitive, and emotional recovery from surgery.  

THRIVE: Trajectories of Recovery after Intravenous Propofol vs inhaled VolatilE anesthesia will look at adult patients undergoing elective noncardiac surgery with general anesthesia. Preplanned subgroup analyses will focus on PCORI priority populations underrepresented in research. Members of the Multicenter Perioperative Outcome Group (MPOG) will serve as the clinical sites and enroll 12,500 patients. 

THRIVE is a multicenter, pragmatic, comparative effectiveness, patient-level randomized control trial. The University of Michigan, Washington University (St. Louis), University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University will lead the design and execution of the study. 

“This study was selected for PCORI funding based on its scientific merit and commitment to engaging patients in conducting a major research effort on propofol vs inhaled volatile anesthesia,” said PCORI Executive Director Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH. “The study has the potential to fill an important evidence gap relevant to a range of healthcare decision makers and help them better assess their care options. We look forward to following the study’s progress and working with the University of Michigan to share its results.”

THRIVE  was selected for funding through a new PCORI initiative to support large-scale, high-impact comparative effectiveness research trials in a multi-phase format allowing for testing and refinement of the study approach. The study will involve an initial 18 month feasibility phase to maximize the likelihood of full trial success. After the feasibility phase, a full scale enrollment and analysis phase will span 5 years. Dr. Kheterpal’s study was selected through a highly competitive review process in which patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders joined scientists to evaluate the proposals. 

The 6.5 year, $32.9M award has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract. 

The MPOG coordinating center team and THRIVE investigators from University of Michigan, Washington University (St. Louis), University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University would like to thank the many MPOG members who assisted in the THRIVE proposal and submitted letters of support. MPOG’s track record of collaboration, execution, and commitment to advancing knowledge is the foundation of this award.  

For more information on the award please see the PCORI announcement and the project summary. 

PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. For more information about PCORI’s funding, visit www.pcori.org.