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InsomniaPhase 4NCT04092894

Suvorexant and Sleep/Delirium in ICU Patients

A Phase 4 study testing Suvorexant 20 mg in people with Insomnia and Sleep Fragmentation, run by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at 2 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Investigators will evaluate the efficacy of postoperative oral suvorexant treatment on nighttime wakefulness after persistent sleep onset (WASO) among adult cardiac surgical patients recovering in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 60 years and older
What is being tested?
Suvorexant 20 mg
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
100 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
28 Feb 2020to 1 Jul 2025
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 60 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 60 years or older
  • Undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery with or without aortic and/or mitral valve replacement, who are expected to be transferred to the ICU postoperatively

Who cannot join

  • Preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 30%
  • Renal failure (creatinine >2 mg/dl or dialysis dependence)
  • Liver failure (CHILD-Pugh>4)
  • Coma (RASS<-1)
  • Signs and symptoms of delirium and agitation at time of enrollment (CAM-ICU positive)
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) below 23 at time of consent
Show all 13Show fewer
  • Psychiatric or neurologic diseases (including chronic benzodiazepine use, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, requirement of prophylactic psychiatric medication, evidence of acute depression on screening visit, preexisting cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson's disease, medications for cognitive decline, history of recent seizures (within 1 year prior visit), alcoholism or documented history of alcohol abuse, and narcolepsy)
  • Severe sleep apnea requiring home continuous positive airway pressure treatment
  • Morbid obesity (BMI >40)
  • Known or suspected pregnancy (there are no adequate and well-controlled studies of suvorexant in pregnant women. Based on animal data, Suvorexant may cause fetal harm).
  • Patients with known hypersensitivity to study medications
  • English language limitations (Sleep assessment and delirium assessment tools are only validated in English)
  • Patients enrolled in other interventional studies which could confound the primary endpoint.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115

  • Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein college of Medicine

    The Bronx, New York, 10467

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Effects of the Orexin Receptor Antagonist Suvorexant on Sleep Architecture and Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit: A Multi-Centric Randomized Controlled Trial

Investigators will evaluate the efficacy of postoperative oral suvorexant treatment on nighttime wakefulness after persistent sleep onset (WASO) among adult cardiac surgical patients recovering in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). The study include patients ≥ 60 years old undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), with or without valve surgery (aortic or mitral). Patients will receive either oral suvorexant or placebo for 7 nights starting the night after extubation. The primary hypothesis is that suvorexant compared with placebo decreases WASO, as measured by a specialized electroencephalogram (EEG), the SedLine monitor, during the first night in the cardiac ICU. Investigators will also assess total sleep time (TST), time to sleep onset (TSO), and postoperative delirium and delirium-free days.

Read the detailed description

This is a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded study. Participants will be enrolled preoperatively. After postoperative extubation, eligible patients will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either suvorexant 20 mg or placebo.

Study procedures will start on preoperative night 3 when the patient is first asked to report information about their sleep using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ). Patients will complete the RCSQ every morning during the 3 days prior to surgery. The intervention (study drug) will be applied for 7 nights starting the night after postoperative extubation in the ICU. Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed once during the night of the sleep trial in the ICU. The sleep trial will take place during the first night after extubation if the patient has been extubated before 7pm. Exploratory outcomes will be assessed from day of extubation until hospital discharge.

Suvorexant 20 mg or placebo will be administered p.o. once a day between 9:00pm and 10:00pm for a maximum of 7 days starting the night after extubation in the ICU. The study drug will be discontinued after 7 consecutive doses following extubation; or at hospital discharge (if less than 7 days after extubation); or at ICU discharge, if patient showed signs of airway obstruction during sleep or when strong inhibitors of CYP3A are co-administered; or in the event of early termination, subject withdrawal of consent, investigator withdrawal for toxicity or other reasons.

If deemed necessary by the treating clinicians, melatonin or benzodiazepine may be added for treatment of insomnia. All patients will receive usual supportive care as per the treating physicians and standard practice.

Duration of nighttime wakefulness after persistent sleep onset (WASO), total sleep time (TST), time to sleep onset (TSO) will be measured by electroencephalogram (EEG) using a Next Generation SedLine® Brain Function Monitor during the night of the sleep trial. Incidence of postoperative in-hospital delirium and increases delirium free days will be assessed using Confusion Assessment Method (CAM).

Being tested
Suvorexant 20 mg, Placebo oral tablet
Keywords
Suvorexant, Sleep architecture, Delirium, Intensive care unit
Medical subject headings
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Sleep Deprivation, Emergence Delirium, Delirium

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Suvorexant 20 mgDrug

    Also called Belsomra

    Administration of oral Suvorexant 20 mg

  • Placebo oral tabletDrug

    Also called Placebo

    Administration of oral placebo (same non-identifiable form as active comparator)

Study groups in NCT04092894
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
SuvorexantActive comparatorSuvorexant 20 mg will be administered p.o. once a day between 9:00pm and 10:00pm for 7 days starting the night after extubation in the ICU.
Receives: Drug: Suvorexant 20 mg
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorPlacebo will be administered p.o. once a day between 9:00pm and 10:00pm for 7 days starting the night after extubation in the ICU.
Receives: Drug: Placebo oral tablet

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Nighttime Wakefulness After Persistent Sleep Onset (WASO)

    Nighttime wakefulness after persistent sleep onset (WASO) will be measured using a SedLine® Brain Function Monitor. WASO will be defined as the duration of wakefulness after the onset of persistent sleep in the observation period between 11:00pm (Lights-Off) to 6:00am (Lights-On) in minutes. Onset of persistent sleep will be defined as the first epoch of 10 consecutive minutes of sleep (REM or non-REM Stages 1, 2, 3 or 4) after Lights-Off. Wakefulness will be defined as any epoch of Stage 0. Sleep staging will be performed according to Rechtschaffen \& Kales criteria and in accordance with AASM guidelines. The SedLine® monitor uses a symmetrical bilateral array of sensors that provides four-channel data.

    Measured: First night after extubation between 11:00pm and 6:00am

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Total Sleep Time (TST)

    Total sleep time will be measured by electroencephalogram (EEG) using a Next Generation SedLine® Brain Function Monitor during the night of the sleep trial in analogy to the primary outcome.

    Measured: First night after extubation between 11:00pm and 6:00am

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted17 Sep 2019
  2. Study start28 Feb 2020
  3. Primary completion26 Feb 2025
  4. Study completion1 Jul 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Randomization in a 1:1 ratio (suvorexant 20 mg versus placebo) will be stratified by duration of perioperative anesthesia and sedation.
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
100 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04092894
Sponsor's protocol ID
2019P000759
Status last verified
Sep 2025
First submitted
13 Sep 2019
Last updated
27 Oct 2025
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The investigators intend to share de-identified individual participant data that underlie the results reported in the published article following reasonable requests to the principal investigator.

Publications

  • Figueroa-Ramos MI, Arroyo-Novoa CM, Lee KA, Padilla G, Puntillo KA. Sleep and delirium in ICU patients: a review of mechanisms and manifestations. Intensive Care Med. 2009 May;35(5):781-95. doi: 10.1007/s00134-009-1397-4. Epub 2009 Jan 23.

    PubMed 19165463
  • Timm FP, Zaremba S, Grabitz SD, Farhan HN, Zaremba S, Siliski E, Shin CH, Muse S, Friedrich S, Mojica JE, Kurth T, Ramachandran SK, Eikermann M. Effects of Opioids Given to Facilitate Mechanical Ventilation on Sleep Apnea After Extubation in the Intensive Care Unit. Sleep. 2018 Jan 1;41(1). doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsx191.

    PubMed 29182729
  • Herring WJ, Connor KM, Snyder E, Snavely DB, Morin CM, Lines C, Michelson D. Effects of suvorexant on the Insomnia Severity Index in patients with insomnia: analysis of pooled phase 3 data. Sleep Med. 2019 Apr;56:219-223. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2018.09.010. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

    PubMed 30522875
  • Herring WJ, Snyder E, Budd K, Hutzelmann J, Snavely D, Liu K, Lines C, Roth T, Michelson D. Orexin receptor antagonism for treatment of insomnia: a randomized clinical trial of suvorexant. Neurology. 2012 Dec 4;79(23):2265-74. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31827688ee. Epub 2012 Nov 28.

    PubMed 23197752
  • Michelson D, Snyder E, Paradis E, Chengan-Liu M, Snavely DB, Hutzelmann J, Walsh JK, Krystal AD, Benca RM, Cohn M, Lines C, Roth T, Herring WJ. Safety and efficacy of suvorexant during 1-year treatment of insomnia with subsequent abrupt treatment discontinuation: a phase 3 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Neurol. 2014 May;13(5):461-71. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70053-5. Epub 2014 Mar 27.

    PubMed 24680372
  • Sun H, Kennedy WP, Wilbraham D, Lewis N, Calder N, Li X, Ma J, Yee KL, Ermlich S, Mangin E, Lines C, Rosen L, Chodakewitz J, Murphy GM. Effects of suvorexant, an orexin receptor antagonist, on sleep parameters as measured by polysomnography in healthy men. Sleep. 2013 Feb 1;36(2):259-67. doi: 10.5665/sleep.2386.

    PubMed 23372274
  • Bourne RS, Minelli C, Mills GH, Kandler R. Clinical review: Sleep measurement in critical care patients: research and clinical implications. Crit Care. 2007;11(4):226. doi: 10.1186/cc5966.

    PubMed 17764582
  • Kamdar BB, Shah PA, King LM, Kho ME, Zhou X, Colantuoni E, Collop NA, Needham DM. Patient-nurse interrater reliability and agreement of the Richards-Campbell sleep questionnaire. Am J Crit Care. 2012 Jul;21(4):261-9. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2012111.

    PubMed 22751369
  • Berry RB, Brooks R, Gamaldo C, Harding SM, Lloyd RM, Quan SF, Troester MT, Vaughn BV. AASM Scoring Manual Updates for 2017 (Version 2.4). J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 May 15;13(5):665-666. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6576. No abstract available.

    PubMed 28416048
  • Vacas S, McInrue E, Gropper MA, Maze M, Zak R, Lim E, Leung JM. The Feasibility and Utility of Continuous Sleep Monitoring in Critically Ill Patients Using a Portable Electroencephalography Monitor. Anesth Analg. 2016 Jul;123(1):206-12. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001330.

    PubMed 27159066
  • Drouot X, Roche-Campo F, Thille AW, Cabello B, Galia F, Margarit L, d'Ortho MP, Brochard L. A new classification for sleep analysis in critically ill patients. Sleep Med. 2012 Jan;13(1):7-14. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2011.07.012. Epub 2011 Dec 6.

    PubMed 22153778
  • Younes M, Ostrowski M, Soiferman M, Younes H, Younes M, Raneri J, Hanly P. Odds ratio product of sleep EEG as a continuous measure of sleep state. Sleep. 2015 Apr 1;38(4):641-54. doi: 10.5665/sleep.4588.

    PubMed 25348125
  • Dres M, Younes M, Rittayamai N, Kendzerska T, Telias I, Grieco DL, Pham T, Junhasavasdikul D, Chau E, Mehta S, Wilcox ME, Leung R, Drouot X, Brochard L. Sleep and Pathological Wakefulness at the Time of Liberation from Mechanical Ventilation (SLEEWE). A Prospective Multicenter Physiological Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 May 1;199(9):1106-1115. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201811-2119OC.

    PubMed 30818966
  • Ely EW, Shintani A, Truman B, Speroff T, Gordon SM, Harrell FE Jr, Inouye SK, Bernard GR, Dittus RS. Delirium as a predictor of mortality in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit. JAMA. 2004 Apr 14;291(14):1753-62. doi: 10.1001/jama.291.14.1753.

    PubMed 15082703
  • Hatta K, Kishi Y, Wada K, Takeuchi T, Ito S, Kurata A, Murakami K, Sugita M, Usui C, Nakamura H; DELIRIA-J Group. Preventive Effects of Suvorexant on Delirium: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Clin Psychiatry. 2017 Sep/Oct;78(8):e970-e979. doi: 10.4088/JCP.16m11194.

    PubMed 28767209

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Suvorexant 20 mg in people with Insomnia and Sleep Fragmentation, run by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at 2 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 27 Oct 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Nighttime Wakefulness After Persistent Sleep Onset (WASO) (time frame: First night after extubation between 11:00pm and 6:00am). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04092894, which also lists 19 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Oct 2025.

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