Shoulder arthroscopy is one of the most common orthopedic procedures, and the quality of the surgeon's view inside the joint is critical to its safety and success. Unlike limb surgery, no tourniquet can be applied to the shoulder, so surgical visibility depends almost entirely on how much bleeding occurs within the joint - which is itself influenced by the anesthetic drugs used to keep the patient asleep.
Two standard techniques exist for maintaining general anesthesia: inhaled anesthesia (sevoflurane) and total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA, using propofol). Evidence from other types of keyhole surgery (nasal, ear) suggests that propofol may produce better surgical visibility, possibly because sevoflurane causes slightly greater dilation of the smallest blood vessels in tissue, leading to more bleeding into the joint. However, in shoulder arthroscopy specifically, the data are scarce and contradictory.
CLEAR-SHOULDER is a randomized, single-blind trial designed to determine whether propofol-based intravenous anesthesia provides superior intraoperative visibility compared to sevoflurane-based inhaled anesthesia during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Surgical visibility will be assessed from blinded video recordings of each procedure using the validated modified Fromme-Boezaart score. An exploratory artificial intelligence analysis of the arthroscopic videos will also be conducted.
Secondary outcomes include operating time, irrigation fluid consumption, hemodynamic stability, vasopressor requirements, surgeon satisfaction, postoperative recovery, and environmental impact of each anesthetic strategy.
Patient aged 18 or over
Patient scheduled for elective rotator cuff repair arthroscopy (RCRA), performed in the "beach-chair" position under general anesthesia combined with an interscalene block (with or without standard associated procedures such as acromioplasty and/or tenotomy/tenodesis of the long biceps). Procedures for instability (Bankart/Latarjet), fractures, capsulitis, simple lavage, or any arthroscopy not focused on rotator cuff repair (RCR) are not eligible.
Patient with an ASA score of I to IV
Patient affiliated to a social security scheme,
Patients with a contraindication to any of the study agents, including known hypersensitivity or allergy to any of these agents or to any of their excipients.
Patients with known coagulopathy (abnormal PT/INR; platelets < 100,000/L) or
Patients with active preoperative hemarthrosis or local infection.
Non-elective (emergency) surgery or a procedure whose initial objective is not rotator cuff repair arthroscopy (RCRA). Note: Intraoperative conversion to open surgery is not an exclusion criterion; it will be considered an intraoperative event and managed in the analysis according to the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle, with a sensitivity analysis procedure described in the statistical plan.
Parallel
Inhalation anesthesia
Procedure/SurgeryInhaled anesthesia maintenance with sevoflurane, titrated to maintain a Bispectral Index (BIS) between 40 and 60 throughout the procedure. Analgesia maintained with remifentanil target-controlled infusion (TCI) at 4 ng/mL cerebral target. Induction performed with propofol, atracurium, ketamine and dexamethasone. Norepinephrine administered as needed to maintain mean arterial pressure ≥ 70 mmHg.
Continuous intravenous anesthesia
Procedure/SurgeryTotal intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) maintenance with propofol target-controlled infusion (TCI, Schnider model), titrated to maintain a Bispectral Index (BIS) between 40 and 60 throughout the procedure. Analgesia maintained with remifentanil target-controlled infusion (TCI) at 4 ng/mL cerebral target. Induction performed with propofol TCI (4-6 ng/mL cerebral target), atracurium, ketamine and dexamethasone. Norepinephrine administered as needed to maintain mean arterial pressure ≥ 70 mmHg.
Intraoperative surgical field visibility assessed by the modified Fromme-Boezaart score
Time-weighted mean modified Fromme-Boezaart score assessed over the entire surgical procedure by two independent blinded evaluators analyzing standardized arthroscopic video segments. The modified Fromme-Boezaart scale ranges from 0 (no bleeding, perfect visibility) to 5 (severe bleeding, surgery impossible). Higher scores indicate worse surgical visibility. In case of discordance greater than 1 point between the two evaluators, a third independent evaluator will adjudicate.
Operative duration
.Duration of surgery in minutes, measured from first incision to skin closure.
Bleeding duration ratio
Ratio of total bleeding duration to total operative duration. Bleeding duration is defined as the cumulative duration of arthroscopic video segments with a modified Fromme-Boezaart score ≥ 3.
Proportion of procedures with clinically impaired or difficult visibility
Proportion of patients with clinically impaired visibility, defined as ≥ 20% of video segments scoring ≥ 3 on the modified Fromme-Boezaart scale; and proportion with difficult visibility, defined as ≥ 20% of segments scoring ≥ 4.
Total irrigation fluid consumption
Total volume of irrigation fluid used during the procedure, recorded in milliliters at the end of the intervention before patient transfer to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).
Mean intraoperative arterial pressure
Mean arterial pressure (MAP) measured every 3 minutes throughout the procedure using a non-invasive blood pressure cuff. A corrected cerebral MAP will also be estimated based on the height difference between the measurement site and the external auditory meatus.
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