Immunologic Response to Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine in Splenic Injury Patients

December 3, 2025 updated by: University of California, Davis
Persons without a spleen are susceptible to potentially lethal infections from certain bacteria, with pneumococcus being the most prevalent. Vaccines are provided to help protect against these infections, though they do not so with certainty. Trauma patients who sustain an injury to their spleen currently have three treatment options available for the treating surgeon - nonoperative management, embolization, or removal of the spleen. The purpose of this study is to investigate the antibody response to pneumococcal vaccine in patients undergoing these modes of therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

The study is a multi-institutional, prospective trial, conducted primarily at the University of California, Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) by the Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. The angioembolization arm will be multicenter while the nonoperative group will be enrolled only at UCDMC. There will be a total of 75 subjects, with 25 in each of the three arms (nonoperative, angioembolization, splenectomy).

Adult trauma patients (defined as those aged 18 to 65 years old) sustaining a splenic injury and planned nonoperative management, are eligible for enrollment in the nonoperative arm. The management decision for the splenic injury is entirely at the discretion of the attending trauma surgeon. Any patient who subsequently undergoes embolization or splenectomy will be withdrawn from the study.

Adult trauma patients sustaining a splenic injury and undergoing splenic artery embolization are eligible for enrollment in this arm of the study. The management decision for the splenic injury is entirely at the discretion of the attending trauma surgeon and radiologist. All patients undergoing successful splenic artery embolization (no subsequent splenectomy or splenorrhaphy, i.e., no cross-over) are eligible.

Patients managed nonoperatively will be vaccinated within three days of their diagnosis, per standard operating protocol at UCDMC. At the time of vaccination, 7cc of venous blood will be collected for baseline antibody analysis. Patients will return four weeks later for a follow-up phlebotomy of another 7cc of blood for analysis of functional antipneumococcal antibody generated in response to vaccine antigen challenge. Blood samples will be centrifuged and stored, and stored sera will be sent in batches on dry ice to Flow Applications, Inc. in McDonough, Georgia for antibody analysis. All samples will be assigned unique patient identifiers.

Responses to the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine will be measured by ELISA to determine the geometric mean increase in immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titer to pneumococcal polysaccharide (Pnc Ps) serotypes. Functional antibody, measured by percent kill of a known pneumococcal concentration, will be determined by opsonophagocytosis assay (OPA). Titers for serogroup 4 and serotypes 6B, 19F, and 23F will be measured, and geometric mean rises in antibody concentrations will be determined to measure response to vaccination.

For those treated with nonoperative management, degree of antibody response and grade of splenic injury will be analyzed against normal controls.

Patients treated via splenic artery embolization will undergo a standard post-embolization computed tomographic exam of the abdomen three to five days postinjury to evaluate the effectiveness of the embolization procedure. The percent of viable, perfused spleen will be calculated from this CT. Antibody response will be compared against the location of the intravascular coils (i.e., proximal versus distal embolization) and the percent of viable spleen as calculated on the follow-up CT scan.

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 (Estimated)

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.
75

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 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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Sacramento, California, United States, 95817
        • Recruiting
        • University of California, Davis Medical Center
        • Contact:

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 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult trauma patients (aged 18 to 65 years old) sustaining a splenic injury.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Ages less than 18 and greater than 65
  • Initial planned nonoperative management patient who subsequently undergoes embolization or splenectomy will be withdrawn from the study.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-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.
Active Comparator: Nonoperative
Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax-23) will be administered within 72 hours of injury. Baseline antibody levels will be drawn at the time of vaccine administration, with response levels being drawn 4 weeks later.
Biological: Pneumovax-23
Active Comparator: Angioembolization
Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax-23) will be administered 14 days after embolization. Baseline antibody levels will be drawn at the time of vaccine administration, with response levels being drawn 4 weeks later.
Biological: Pneumovax-23
Active Comparator: Splenectomy
Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax-23) will be administered 14 days after splenectomy. Baseline antibody levels will be drawn at the time of vaccine administration, with response levels being drawn 4 weeks later.
Biological: Pneumovax-23

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
Geometric mean increases in pneumococcal antibody titer
Time Frame: 4 weeks
measured by opsonophagocytosis assay
4 weeks

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.
University of California, Davis

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: David Shatz, MD, University of California, Davis

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.

Helpful Links

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.
December 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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, 2026

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).
September 2, 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.
September 4, 2014

First Posted (Estimated)

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 5, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
December 5, 2025

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 3, 2025

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.
December 1, 2025

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.
  • 1036320
  • 51847 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Merck Investigators Study Program)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

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.

Clinical Trials on Asplenia

Clinical Trials on Pneumovax-23

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings