Recovery from bispectral index-guided anaesthesia in a large randomized controlled trial of patients at high risk of awareness

Abstract

Electroencephalographic monitors of anaesthetic depth are reported to assist anaesthetists in reducing recovery times. We explored the effect of bispectral index (BIS) monitoring on recovery times in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of 2,463 patients at high risk of awareness. Patients were randomized to BIS-guided anaesthesia or routine care. In the BIS group, anaesthesia was adjusted to maintain a BIS value of 40-60 from the commencement of laryngoscopy to the start of wound closure, and 55-70 during wound closure. In the routine care group, anaesthesia was adjusted according to traditional clinical signs. In multivariate models, BIS monitoring, female gender, lower American Soc..