Tidal Lavage in Knee Osteoarthritis

December 28, 2006 updated by: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Tidal Lavage vs. Sham Lavage in Knee Osteoarthritis (OA)

This study compared the effects of tidal lavage (washing out) of the knee joint and an imitation lavage procedure in people with knee osteoarthritis. In tidal lavage, the doctor flushes out a knee joint with repeated injections of a mild salt solution, done under local anesthesia. Study participants had to meet standard criteria for diagnosis of osteoarthritis but could have low, medium, or high severity of x-ray changes indicating knee osteoarthritis. We performed the lavage procedure once, and did quarterly followups for 1 year. We permitted patients to use some other osteoarthritis treatments during the study, such as non-narcotic pain relievers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study was a randomized, double-blind, sham procedure-controlled evaluation of tidal lavage as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis. We achieved blinding by raising a drape during the study procedure and mimicking the sensory aspects of tidal lavage, but not flushing the knee, in the sham lavage group. We gave all study participants subcutaneous anesthesia with lidocaine and then bupivacaine and then attempted aspiration of the knee, removing up to 5 ml of synovial fluid for examination and then injecting the knee with 20 ml of bupivicaine.

In people who received the sham treatment, we placed a 16-gauge catheter in the lateral suprapatellar position just to the knee joint capsule and infused small volumes (less than 5 ml per "exchange" x 20) of saline into the subcutaneous tissue while manipulating the anterior knee to mimic efforts to shift fluid within the knee during the "aspiration" phase of each exchange. Patients could see the supply bag of sterile saline but could not see the waste bag of this closed drainage system.

For tidal lavage patients, we made the catheter puncture in the lateral suprapatellar pouch and repeatedly distended the knee with 30-50 ml of sterile saline, then aspirated this volume (about 20 exchanges for a total of 1 liter of flush solution).

At the end of the procedure, we told the patients that their knee might be swollen due to retained saline, and to expect this additional swelling to resolve over 24-48 hours, during which time they were to minimize activity. The person who did the procedure (the principal investigator) then left the room. The study nurse, who was not present for the procedure and was blinded to the procedure's identity, asked the patients which treatment they thought they received (tidal lavage or sham lavage). We scheduled patient followups with this study nurse for 3, 6, and 12 months, and patients completed questionnaires at each visit. Questionnaires were both arthritis-specific (WOMAC) and global (Quality of Well-Being).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
180

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • Indiana University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Knee pain attributed to osteoarthritis for at least 1 year.
  • Meet American College of Rheumatology clinical or clinical plus x-ray criteria for knee osteoarthritis
  • Have at least a moderate pain rating on at least one of the five Western Ontario-McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scales

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Significant conditions of the spine, hips, or feet that affect the ability to walk
  • Significant medical conditions that affect the ability to walk and function
  • Inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout
  • Degenerative arthritis secondary to other conditions, such as hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, or ochronosis
  • Current significant soft tissue rheumatism such as fibromyalgia, anserine bursitis, or trochanteric bursitis

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: John D. Bradley, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 1995

Study Completion

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2001

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 3, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 1999

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 4, 1999

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 1, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 28, 2006

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2001

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • R01AR042165 (NIH)
  • NIAMS-001

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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