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Subjects randomized to this arm will receive statin therapy (simvastatin 40 mg) two days before surgery -- allowing three doses of simvastatin before incision -- and these will be continued until patients are either discharged from the hospital or have completed a 3-day postoperative course (6 days of simvastatin therapy), whichever occurs earlier. If patients are unable to take oral medications, the enteral route via nasogastric tube (at our institution, nasogastric tubes are routinely placed for both lumbar and thoracic instrumentation) will be used to deliver either placebo or the statin, as no parenteral form of this drug is currently available.

Subjects randomized to this arm will receive placebo two days before surgery -- allowing three doses of placebo before incision -- and these will be continued until patients are either discharged from the hospital or have completed a 3-day postoperative course (6 days of placebo), whichever occurs earlier. If patients are unable to take oral medications, the enteral route via nasogastric tube (at our institution, nasogastric tubes are routinely placed for both lumbar and thoracic instrumentation) will be used to deliver either placebo or the statin, as no parenteral form of this drug is currently available.

40 mg po/nasogastric tube (NG) every day for 6 days

Placebo

Michael J. Brown, M.D.

Daryl Kor, M.D.

The purpose of the present study is to quantify the degree of modulation, if any, in the perioperative inflammatory response associated with statins use. Specifically, we hypothesize that:

In a population of patients undergoing elective orthopedic spine surgery, administration of a specific statin (Simvastatin, Zocor®, Merck Pharmaceuticals), will be associated with a decrease in perioperative inflammatory markers when compared to patients not taking statins

Previous studies have reported activation of the body's immune system during the perioperative period.1 Typically, this "stress response" is limited and goes unnoticed by the patient and health care team. However, physiologic insults that occur during major surgery may elicit a more pronounced response known as the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Such a response is of great clinical consequence, as it is known to significantly worsen perioperative morbidity and mortality.1 HMG Co-A Reductase Inhibitors (hereafter identified by the common name, "the statins") are potent inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis, and their role in the treatment of atherosclerosis and prevention of coronary artery disease is well documented.2-5 Interestingly, data from animal studies have shown that statins have unique anti-inflammatory properties that are independent of their lipid lowering effects.6 Recently, statin therapy has been associated with a reduced incidence of perioperative cardiovascular and neurologic complications in major vascular and thoracic surgery patients as well as improved outcomes in patients experiencing acute coronary syndrome (ACS).7-13 In all ACS patient populations studied, improvement in outcome has been attributed to coronary plaque stabilization, presumably a result of statins mitigating the local inflammatory response at the level of the coronary plaque.

The purpose of this study is to quantify the magnitude of perioperative inflammation during major orthopedic spine surgery and determine whether statins alter this systemic physiologic response.

Assessing the Role of "Statin" Therapy and Perioperative Inflammatory Response in Patients Undergoing Major Orthopedic Surgery

Perioperative HMG-CoA-Reductase-Inhibitors: A Pilot Study Assessing the Role of "Statin" Therapy and Perioperative Inflammatory Response in Patients Undergoing Major Orthopedic Surgery

Description: AST is an enzyme found in high amounts in liver, heart, and muscle cells. This test is mainly done along with other tests such as alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin to diagnose and monitor liver disease. This test evaluates hepatocyte integrity, as serum levels of this enzyme rise in response to a variety of forms of injury to hepatic cells. The normal range is 10 to 40 U/L.

An enzyme normally present in liver and heart cells that is released into the bloodstream when the liver or heart is damaged. The blood ALT levels are elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis) or with an insult to the heart (for example, from a heart attack). The normal range is 7 to 56 U/L.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a substance produced by the liver in response to inflammation. Normal CRP levels are below 3.0 mg/L.

A creatine kinase test may be used to detect inflammation of muscles or muscle damage due to muscle disorders. A person may have muscle injury with few or nonspecific symptoms, such as weakness, fever, and nausea, that may also be seen with a variety of other conditions. A healthcare practitioner may use a CK test to help detect muscle damage in these cases, especially if someone is taking a drug such as a statin. Normal values at rest are usually between 60 and 174 IU/L.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) may be used to help evaluate a person who has a condition associated with inflammation, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, or with infection, such as sepsis. It may also be used in the evaluation of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. IL-6 is a cytokine, a protein produced by immune cells that acts on other cells to help regulate and/or promote an immune response. It also stimulates the production of acute phase reactants, proteins that increase in the blood with conditions that cause inflammation or tissue injury. Circulating IL-6 can be found in the blood of normal individuals in the 1 pg/mL range, with slight elevations during the menstrual cycle, modest elevations in certain cancers (melanoma) (10 pg/mL), and large elevations after surgery (30-430 pg/mL).

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha is a cell signaling protein (cytokine) involved in systemic inflammation and is one of the cytokines that make up the acute phase reaction. TNF is important to the body because it helps regulate the response of the immune system to a foreign object, especially to the present cancerous tumor. It promotes inflammation, produces other cells used in the inflammatory response, and can help cells heal. The normal range is 5 to 27.2 pg/ml.

Study title	NCT ID	Conditions	Interventions	Eligibility	Organization	Link
Assessing the Role of "Statin" Therapy and Perioperative Inflammatory Response in Patients Undergoing Major Orthopedic Surgery	NCT00656292	Perioperative I...	Simvastatin Placebo	18 Years - 80 Years	Mayo Clinic
Assessing the Role of "Statin" Therapy and Perioperative Inflammatory Response in Patients Undergoing Major Orthopedic Surgery	NCT00656292	Perioperative I...	Simvastatin Placebo	18 Years - 80 Years	Mayo Clinic

Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers