Glycerin Suppositories Used Prophylactically in Premature Infants (SUPP): a Pilot Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial

March 15, 2016 updated by: McMaster University
All premature babies have problems with feeding and nutrition. Some can develop a life-threatening bowel infection necrotizing enterocolitis. This can result in the need for emergency surgery, loss of bowel, lifelong feeding problems, and death. Giving premature babies glycerin suppositories may be one way to stimulate the digestive tract and help prevent these problems. To see if this treatment works, the investigators need to study hundreds of premature babies in a large trial involving multiple hospitals. The purpose of this project is to carry out a small study first and make sure that the larger trial is feasible. The investigators will invite approximately 30 premature babies from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at McMaster University Medical Centre to participate in this study over a 6-month period. The investigators will focus on feasibility issues, including cost, safety, and rate of participation. This will allow us to rigorously test our study protocol and lay the groundwork for the larger study involving multiple hospitals.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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 (Anticipated)

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.
30

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8N3Z5
        • Recruiting
        • McMaster University Medical Centre

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Gestational age 24-32 weeks OR
  • Birth weight 500-1500 grams

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Congenital gastrointestinal anomalies
  • Surgery within 48 hours of birth
  • Culture-proven sepsis*
  • Vasopressors within 6 hours of first intervention
  • Nitric oxide
  • Duct-dependent congenital heart defect requiring prostaglandins
  • Suspected coagulopathy (mucosal bleeding from any orifice)
  • Confirmed coagulopathy (any one of the following):
  • International Normalized Ratio greater than 1.4
  • Partial Thromboplastin Time greater than 39 seconds
  • Fibrinogen less than 1.00 grams/liter
  • Thrombocytopenia (platelet count less than 100 x 10^9/liter)**
  • Neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count less than 0.5 x 10^9/liter)
  • Complete meconium evacuation (2 normal bowel movements) within 48 hours of life
  • Parent or legal guardian unable to understand English

Note:

* C-reactive protein is not an exclusion criteria

** Indomethacin alone is not an exclusion criteria

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 Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

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.
Active Comparator: Glycerin Suppository
Drug: Glycerin Suppository
The treatment intervention will be a 250 mg glycerin suppository placed in the rectum once daily starting 48-72 hours after birth.
Sham Comparator: Sham Suppository
Other: Sham Suppository
Sham suppositories will be created by placing a 250 mg glycerin suppository in the diaper once daily starting 48-72 hours after birth. This intervention works as a non-invasive placebo to maintain blinding.

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
Time Frame
Days to full enteral feeding (150 ml/kg/day)
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Up to 4 months

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
Feeding volume on day 14 of life (ml/kg/day)
Time Frame: 14 days
14 days
Days to complete meconium evacuation
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Number of days to complete meconium evacuation (defined as two normal bowel movements free of meconium staining).
Up to 4 months
Compliance with treatment regimen
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Up to 4 months
Days of parenteral nutrition
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Up to 4 months
Necrotizing enterocolitis
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Up to 4 months
Culture-proven line sepsis
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Up to 4 months
Mortality
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Up to 4 months

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Recruitment rate
Time Frame: 6 months
Percentage of eligible infants randomized
6 months
Completion rate
Time Frame: 6 months
Percentage of randomized infants reaching full enteral feeds
6 months
Treatment-related adverse events
Time Frame: Up to 4 months
Rectal perforation, rectal bleeding, and/or anal fissure
Up to 4 months
Cost
Time Frame: 6 months
6 months

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.
McMaster University

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.
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
McMaster Surgical Associates

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: J M Walton, M.D., McMaster University

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.
January 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

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.
June 1, 2016

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).
May 23, 2014

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.
May 29, 2014

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.
June 3, 2014

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.
March 17, 2016

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.
March 15, 2016

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, 2016

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.
  • Walton-MSA14-GlycerinSupp

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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