Author: Kantheti HS et al.
Anesthesiology, September 12, 2025. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000005750
This study analyzed perioperative clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov between 2008 and 2022, comparing anesthesiology-related studies with non-anesthesiology trials. Of nearly 281,000 trials, only 6,602 (2.4%) were anesthesia-related. Encouragingly, the proportion of anesthesiology trials increased from 1.5% in 2008 to 2.7% in 2022 (p<0.001).
Anesthesiology trials were more likely to be randomized, single-site, and smaller in scale, with median sample sizes of 84 patients in phase 3/4 studies compared to 90 in non-anesthesiology trials (p<.0001). They were also shorter in duration (median 15 vs. 24 months). Funding disparities were striking: anesthesiology trials were 7 times less likely to be industry-funded (4.5% vs. 32%) and 6 times less likely to be government-funded (6.0% vs. 12.7%) compared to other perioperative fields. In the US, just 6% of anesthesia trials received federal support, while industry funding covered only 10.8%—far below the 18.9% and 43% seen in non-anesthesiology research, respectively. The most common trial foci were regional anesthesia (31.3%) and general anesthesia (30.2%).
These findings highlight that despite modest growth in representation, anesthesiology research remains underfunded, fragmented, and heavily dependent on small, single-site studies. Strengthening collaboration and securing larger, multicenter trials will be critical for advancing the specialty’s competitiveness and clinical impact.
What You Should Know
• Anesthesiology trials represent just 2.4% of all perioperative interventional studies but are slowly increasing.
• Studies are smaller, shorter, and more likely to be randomized single-site designs.
• Funding gaps are substantial—industry and government support lag well behind other perioperative fields.
• Research priorities cluster around regional and general anesthesia.
• Building larger multicenter collaborations is essential to improve funding competitiveness and evidence quality.
Thank you to Anesthesiology for publishing this important analysis.