Efficacy of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Neonates With Hypoglycemia

October 19, 2021 updated by: Michael Agus, Boston Children's Hospital
Our aim is to determine the feasibility of using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in infants with low blood glucose to improve how we care for these infants. To do this we plan on monitoring blood glucose levels with CGMs (instead of only with intermittent bloodsampling) in late-preterm and term infants admitted to the NICU who have had hypoglycemia. To see if using CGMs helps us prevent low blood glucose levels and allows us to find a diagnosis and treat sooner, we will randomize patients into one of two groups: a "CGM group" where the CGM information is made available to the NICU team and a "Standard of Care" group where the CGM information will only be available to the research team. However, if infants in the "Standard of Care" group are noted to have three unrecognized severe low blood glucose levels then the research team will inform the NICU team that this has occurred.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

We aim to evaluate the utility of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in improving the diagnosis and management of neonatal hypoglycemia in infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Specifically, we hope to assess whether the use of CGMs in this population reduces the number and severity of hypoglycemic events, reduces the time to diagnosis of the etiology of hypoglycemia and/or reduces the time taken to achieve stable euglycemia on a sustainable feeding regimen. We plan to perform a prospective pilot and feasibility study comparing the clinical course and outcomes of newborns with hypoglycemia admitted to the NICU who are actively monitored with CGMs versus those who receive routine care. Eligible infants will be late preterm and term infants admitted to the Boston Children's Hospital who have had two documented hypoglycemic episodes during their current admission. Families will be approached for consent shortly after diagnosis of recurrent hypoglycemia. As all of these infants will be undergoing periodic blood glucose monitoring as part of their routine care, enrollment in this study will involve minimal additional interventions, including CGM placement, which involves placement of a small subcutaneous needle sensor, and the possibility of drawing additional blood glucose samples if hypoglycemia is detected by CGM. All enrolled infants will be placed on a CGM monitor and then randomized to either the "CGM Protocol" or "Standard of Care" group. Those on the CGM Protocol will have a fully accessible CGM that will be analyzed for blood glucose trends and will alarm for any blood glucose level approaching hypoglycemic threshold (eg. BG <70 mg/dL). Those in the "Standard of Care" group will have a CGM in place, but values will not be available to the clinical team except if severe hypoglycemia is recorded (eg. BG <40 mg/dL). Whenever the CGM alarms or there is a concerning blood glucose trend as measured by the CGM, the nurse will be asked to check a blood glucose value. All clinical management decisions will be made by the clinical team based on confirmed blood glucose values. In the control group, the only change to current management is the potential performance of additional blood glucose checks that may be prompted by CGM alarms for severe hypoglycemia. The CGM will remain in place until the infant is no longer being monitored for glycemic stability or the infant is discharged. We will record all blood glucose levels, laboratory data related to investigation of the underlying cause of hypoglycemia, all intravenous and enteral sources of glucose, and uses of other therapeutic interventions such as diazoxide and carnitine replacement. We will also compare blood glucose data with information from the CGM monitors to assess accuracy. We will then compare severity and frequency of hypoglycemia, as well as times to diagnosis and euglycemia between the "CGM" and "Standard of Care" groups.

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.
6

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
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Boston Children's Hospital

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

No older than 1 month (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion criteria:

  • Age 0-60 days old
  • Late-preterm and term infants (babies born more than 33 weeks and 6 days after the start of the pregnancy)
  • History of low blood sugars (hypoglycemia): two episodes of hypoglycemia more than 1 hour apart (low blood sugar will be defined by age: for those less than 48 hours old a low blood sugar is considered less than 50mg/dL and for those older than 48 hours old less than 70mg/dL)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Infants with skin disease such that placement of a glucose sensor under the skin would be difficult to secure
  • Infants expected to remain in NICU less than 24 hours
  • Infants on a hypothermic protocol
  • Infants enrolled in a competing clinical trial
  • Family/team have decided to limit or redirect from aggressive NICU technological support
  • infants who are wards of the state

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: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: CGM Protocol
Subjects will receive continuous glucose monitoring and caregivers will be able to view continuous glucose measurements.
Device: Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) will be used to monitor blood sugar levels in enrolled subjects. CGMs measure blood sugar in the tissue just under the skin every few seconds and report average blood sugar every 5 minutes. In our study, the CGMs will function as monitoring systems. In the CGM protocol group the CGM will let the medical team know if there is a concerning blood sugar level, so that the medical team can then check a blood sugar level by the standard way (usually in a small drop of blood) and then decide if they need to give any medical treatment. In the Standard of Care group the CGM data will not be visible to the medical team but the medical team will be informed by the researchers if there are multiple unrecognized episodes of severe hypoglycemia.
Other Names:
  • Dexcom G4 Platinum
Placebo Comparator: Standard of Care
Subjects will receive continuous glucose monitoring but caregivers will not be able to view continuous glucose measurements.
Device: Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) will be used to monitor blood sugar levels in enrolled subjects. CGMs measure blood sugar in the tissue just under the skin every few seconds and report average blood sugar every 5 minutes. In our study, the CGMs will function as monitoring systems. In the CGM protocol group the CGM will let the medical team know if there is a concerning blood sugar level, so that the medical team can then check a blood sugar level by the standard way (usually in a small drop of blood) and then decide if they need to give any medical treatment. In the Standard of Care group the CGM data will not be visible to the medical team but the medical team will be informed by the researchers if there are multiple unrecognized episodes of severe hypoglycemia.
Other Names:
  • Dexcom G4 Platinum

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
Frequency of Hypoglycemic Events
Time Frame: Up to 28 days
Hypoglycemia is defined by age group: for patients less than 48 hours of life, hypoglycemia is defined as glucose level < 50 mg/dL for patients greater than or equal to 48 hours of life it is defined as glucose level < 70 mg/dL.
Up to 28 days
Frequency of Severe Hypoglycemia Events
Time Frame: Up to 28 days
Severe hypoglycemia is defined as glucose level < 40 mg/dL
Up to 28 days

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
Number of Events Where Etiology of Hypoglycemia Was Established
Time Frame: up tp 28 days
Diagnosis of the etiology of hypoglycemia, and the time to to do, will be evaluated in order to determine if the use of CGM will prompt earlier testing to evaluate the etiology of the hypoglycemia and therefore lead to earlier ascertainment of the underlying etiology. Diagnosis of etiology.
up tp 28 days
Time to Diagnosis of Etiology of Hypoglycemia
Time Frame: Up to 28 days
Diagnosis of the etiology of hypoglycemia, and the time to to do, will be evaluated in order to determine if the use of CGM will prompt earlier testing to evaluate the etiology of the hypoglycemia and therefore lead to earlier ascertainment of the underlying etiology. Time to diagnosis of etiology.
Up to 28 days
Time to Stable Euglycemia
Time Frame: Up to 28 days
Up to 28 days

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.
Boston Children's Hospital

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: Michael Agus, MD, Boston Children's Hospital

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.
February 1, 2015

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.
August 30, 2018

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.
August 30, 2018

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 20, 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.
November 20, 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.
November 25, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
November 1, 2021

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.
October 19, 2021

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.
October 1, 2021

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.
  • IRB-P00014699

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