Proactive Palliative Care for Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) and Their Families

September 5, 2013 updated by: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Randomized Controlled Trial of Proactive Palliative Care for Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices and Their Families

The primary aim of the study is to provide "proof of concept" to demonstrate that patients with Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) and caregivers are willing to be enrolled in a randomized trial of palliative care and that such a study is feasible. Secondary aims include demonstrating improvement in symptoms (physical and psychological) for intervention patients and their caregivers as compared to control patients and caregivers. The investigators will also examine differences in utilization of healthcare services, mortality, and completion of advance directives between intervention and control patients.

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

A ventricular assist device is an implanted mechanical device which augments the pumping function of the heart's ventricles. The number of patients with VADs is expected to increase in an exponential manner in the years to come as device technology improves and continues to show a survival benefit. The investigators propose a randomized controlled trial of a proactive palliative care intervention for patients with VADs and their caregivers. Patients randomized to palliative care will receive ongoing counseling and symptom assessment as well as clarification and documentation of goals of care, starting before implantation and continuing throughout the course of the study. The intervention is delivered primarily in the outpatient setting by a palliative care nurse practitioner. Intervention patients will also be followed by the inpatient palliative care consultation service when hospitalized for their initial VAD implantation and during any subsequent hospitalizations as needed. Control patients will receive usual care as provided by the VAD clinical team. Data collection will be performed by a research assistant at Mount Sinai (blinded to randomization) who conducts baseline assessments in person, and then follow-up assessments over the phone. The primary aim of the study is to provide "proof of concept" to demonstrate that patients and caregivers are willing to be enrolled in a randomized trial of palliative care and that such a study is feasible. Secondary aims include demonstrating improvement in symptoms (physical and psychological) for intervention patients and their caregivers as compared to control patients and caregivers.

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 (Actual)

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.
18

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.
  • Not Applicable

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
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10029
        • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

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

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age >21 years
  • fluent in English
  • have a caregiver/family member who is willing to be enrolled and who is also fluent in English
  • consistent and reliable access to a phone

Exclusion Criteria:

  • non English-speaking

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Other: Control
Usual Care
Other: Usual Care
Receive usual care as provided by the VAD clinical team.
Active Comparator: Palliative Care
Receive ongoing counseling and symptom assessment as well as clarification and documentation of goals of care, starting before implantation and continuing throughout the course of the study. Intervention patients will also be followed by the inpatient palliative care consultation service when hospitalized for their initial VAD implantation and during any subsequent hospitalizations as needed
Behavioral: Palliative Care
Receive ongoing counseling and symptom assessment as well as clarification and documentation of goals of care, starting before implantation and continuing throughout the course of the study. Intervention patients will also be followed by the inpatient palliative care consultation service when hospitalized for their initial VAD implantation and during any subsequent hospitalizations as needed

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Assessment - change at 1 year from baseline
Time Frame: baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment
change in pain from baseline to 1 year, using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale
baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Satisfaction with care - change at 1 year from baseline
Time Frame: at baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment
changes in satisfaction with care from baseline to 1 year as measured with validated scales for satisfaction with care.
at baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment
PROMIS anxiety scale - change at 1 year from baseline
Time Frame: at baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment
changes in anxiety from baseline to 1 year as measured by the PROMIS anxiety scale
at baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment
PROMIS depression scale - change at 1 year from baseline
Time Frame: at baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment
changes in depression measured from baseline to 1 year as measured by the PROMIS depression scale
at baseline (within 2 weeks of enrollment) and at 1 year after implantment

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.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
The Greenwall Foundation
Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation

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: Nathan E. Goldstein, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

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, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
July 1, 2012

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).
August 15, 2011

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.
August 31, 2011

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.
September 1, 2011

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.
September 6, 2013

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.
September 5, 2013

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.
September 1, 2013

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.
  • GCO 11-0152
  • P30AG028741-01A2 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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