The Effect of a Large-volume Paracentesis on Fatigue, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Cirrhosis

August 3, 2015 updated by: NYU Langone Health

Ascites is the accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity of the abdomen. It is a frequent complication of cirrhosis that is associated with significant morbidity and poor quality of life. Large-volume ascites has been associated with impaired pulmonary function. In a previous study, the presence and severity of ascites were determined to be significant determinants of fatigue.

In this study, we will determine whether large-volume ascites contributes to fatigue by assessing the response to drainage of ascites by means of a procedure called large-volume paracentesis. We hypothesize that treatment of ascites with a single large-volume paracentesis leads to decreased fatigue and improved quality of life and that this improvement is associated with improved sleep pattern.

20 patients with cirrhosis with refractory ascites requiring regular drainage of ascites fluid by large-volume paracenteses will be recruited for the study. All patients will undergo a complete clinical and physical examination for liver function, including blood tests. Hepatic encephalopathy, a change in mental status associated with liver dysfunction, will be assessed by obtaining historical data and by means of simple bedside neuropsychological examinations.

Study visits will take place on two consecutive days, with each visit lasting approximately 2-3 hours. Immediately prior to a large-volume paracentesis, patients will complete standardized questionnaires for fatigue severity, quality of life, quality of sleep, and a physical assessment of fatigue by means of a 6-minute walk test. Repeat evaluations will be performed 1 day after the procedure. Statistical analysis will then be performed to determine the effect of the paracentesis on the various clinical assessments.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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Withdrawn

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.

Detailed Description

The study design is a prospective observational analysis. Subjects who have been deemed candidates for a large-volume paracentesis, based on clinical criteria and who meet the above-referenced inclusion and exclusion criteria will be recruited to participate in this study. Study visits will take place on 2 consecutive days. Each study visit will last approximately 2 to 3 hours. The first assessment day will occur immediately prior to an electively-scheduled large-volume paracentesis. The second assessment will occur one day later.

Once enrolled, all subjects will undergo a baseline assessment of liver function. Medical records will be reviewed to determine etiology of cirrhosis, history of variceal bleeding, history of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, history of hospitalization for hepatic encephalopathy, and use of and clinical response to treatment with lactulose, neomycin, and/or rifaximin. Body mass index and grade of ascites (grade 1, mild ascites; grade 2, moderate ascites; grade 3, massive or tense ascites) will be determined based on physical examination. History or presence of asterixis will be recorded. Severity of hepatic encephalopathy will be graded according to the West-Haven criteria and further assessed by neuropsychological testing (discussed in further detail below). Baseline serum laboratory analyses will be obtained, including the following: aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, prothrombin time and international normalized ratio, and platelet count. Based on these serum studies, the Child-Pugh score and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score will be calculated.

After baseline assessments are obtained, the six-minute walk test and a series of questionnaires (discussed in further detail below) to assess fatigue, sleep, and quality of life will be performed on study day 1, immediately prior to the paracentesis, and then repeated one day after the paracentesis. Note that neither the six-minute walk test nor the neuropsychological testing or questionnaires are considered standard of care for patients requiring large-volume paracentesis and these will be performed exclusively for research purposes.

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.
Observational

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, 10016
        • New York 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

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with cirrhosis with diuretic-resistant refractory ascites (based on International Ascites Club criteria)

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects with cirrhosis (based on clinical, laboratory, radiologic evaluation, and liver biopsy, when available) with diuretic-resistant refractory ascites, based on International Ascites Club criteria.[2,31] Specific criteria used for inclusion will be subjects with ascites that cannot be stabilized despite intensive diuretic therapy (e.g., 400 mg of spironolactone with 160 mg of furosemide per day) and dietary sodium restriction (90 mmol of sodium per day) with reappearance of grade 2 or 3 ascites within 4 weeks of mobilization (defined as decrease of ascites at least to grade 1). All subjects must provide separate written consent to undergo a large-volume paracentesis.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects will not be eligible for the study if they: (1) have been hospitalized in the previous 1 month for gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, or renal failure; (2) are unable to independently ambulate or have had unstable angina or myocardial infarction within the previous 1 month, as these are contraindications to participating in the 6-minute walk test; (3) are unable to participate in neuropsychological tests or questionnaires; (4) are receiving interferon therapy; (5) have a history of alcohol abuse within the previous 6 months; (6) have a diagnosis of a primary neurologic disorder or uncontrolled psychiatric disorder; or (7) are receiving psychotropic medications such as benzodiazepines and anti-epileptic drugs.

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

  • Observational Models: Case-Only
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Patients with cirrhosis
Male and female subjects who have cirrhosis of the liver and diuretic-resistant ascites (based on International Ascites Clib criteria) and have been evaluated and approved to have a large-volume paracentesis as part of standard of care treatment.

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
Fatigue
Time Frame: 10 min
Patients undergo 6-minute walk test and fill out Fisk Impact Scale (Fatigue Questionnaire)
10 min

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
Hepatic Encephalopathy
Time Frame: 10 min
Patients undergo psychometric testing that involves Trail Making Test and Digit Symbol Substitution Test.
10 min
Quality of Life
Time Frame: 5 min
Patients fill out Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 questionnaire
5 min
Daytime Sleepiness
Time Frame: 5 min
Patients fill out Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire.
5 min

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.
NYU Langone Health

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: Samuel Sigal, MD, NYU Langone Health

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, 2012

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.
October 1, 2014

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.
October 1, 2014

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).
January 24, 2013

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.
January 24, 2013

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.
January 29, 2013

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.
August 4, 2015

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.
August 3, 2015

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.
August 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • R11-00672

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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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