The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) is announcing its intent to publish a Request for Proposals (RFP) to be due February 1, 2010, to undertake research to understand the nature and potential etiological factors of unexpected neurocognitive deficits in patients undergoing general anesthesia during surgery in non-supine positions. There have been increasing reports of severe neurological injury in previously healthy patients having surgery in head-above-heart positions (e.g., shoulder surgery in the beach chair position) but the incidence and mechanisms are unknown. APSF believes this is a major patient safety issue that warrants rigorous study.

• APSF intends to provide up to $200,000 for a period not to exceed 2 years.
• The proposed study should be a prospective observational clinical trial with a matched and/or parallel control group (i.e., similar patients having similar surgery in the supine position). The use of validated preoperative and postoperative neurocognitive tests will be required. Additional intraoperative and postoperative testing (e.g., neurological function monitoring, biomarkers) may be required or encouraged.
• The proposals will be evaluated by a scientific review committee selected by APSF. Proposals will be assessed for merit based primarily on their likelihood of meeting the contractual objectives outlined in the RFP as well as the proposed study’s scientific rigor, innovation, and cost-effectiveness.
• The principal investigator must be an experienced scientist from a North American institution.
• A contract mechanism will be used and funds will be awarded to a single institution.
• Funding will be contingent on acceptable modifications to the proposal based on feedback from the APSF review committee as well as appropriate IRB and institutional approvals.

Please contact Robert K. Stoelting, MD, President of APSF, at [email protected] for the official RFP
(anticipated availability date November 15, 2009)