Water And Saline Head-to-head In The Blinded Evaluation Study Trial (WASHITBEST)

October 10, 2018 updated by: University of Missouri-Columbia
Patients who are diagnosed with acute appendicitis consented and then randomized into two arms of the trial. In one arm, patients receive irrigation of the abdomen during surgery with normal saline, or salt water. In the other arm, patients receive irrigation of the abdomen during surgery with sterile water. Sometimes patients receive no irrigation if none is determined to be needed at the time of operation by the surgeon. We then followed patients after surgery for 30 days. The hypothesis of this study was that the use of sterile water as irrigation fluid during surgery in patients who have acute appendicitis will decrease the chance of a post-operative abscess or infection.

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

All patients, aged 6 and above, who present for an emergent or interval appendectomy to any one of the participating surgeons will potentially be enrolled in the study. Prior to surgery, the patient or the patient's guardian if a minor, will be informed of the study and consent (assent of minors will be obtained) will be requested. If consent is obtained, the patient's name and medical record number will then be sent to the inpatient pharmacy. They will be randomly assigned using a master list to either water or saline arm. The pharmacy will then send the correct solution to the operating room in the form of 3 one Liter bags. This will be ordered prior to going to the operating room. Next, a laparoscopic or open appendectomy will be performed according to the current standard of care. The surgeon will also be free to convert a laparoscopic procedure to an open procedure if deemed appropriate by his or her clinical judgment. The type of irrigant used during the case, however, will be blinded to the surgeon. The surgeon will use as much irrigation solution as they deem necessary based on an intra-operative decision. This will likely not have any affect on the study, as there is no standard amount of irrigation that is needed during appendectomies, and we do not wish to change the current practices of our surgeons. Additionally, the study question of if sterile water will decrease infectious rates will not be affected either. The science of this study will remain the same whether 10 mL or 3000 mL of irrigation solution is utilized. The surgeon may use more irrigation if deemed necessary to adequately wash the abdomen and remove all particulate matter and blood clots. At the end of the case, the surgeon will record the amount of irrigant used along with surgery date, duration of symptoms, surgery start and finish time, preoperative antibiotics, height and weight. The patient will be followed in the study for 30 days after surgery. There is usually a follow up office visit one to two weeks after the procedure. A chart review after the case will capture the length of stay, post-operative antibiotic, pathology report results, and complications consisting such as prolonged ileus (>2 days), bowel obstruction, prolonged fever (> 2 days), post-operative abscess, irrigation volume, and wound infection.

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.
241

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
    • Missouri
      • Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65212
        • University of Missouri

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

6 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All patients, age 6 and older, who present for an emergent or interval appendectomy to any one of the participating surgeons, meet the inclusion criteria for the study. Assent from all minors (under age 18) was obtained.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant patients, patients with mental handicap, Veterans, patients under 6 years old

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: Normal Saline
Patients were randomized to receive normal saline as an irrigation solution during appendectomy.
Procedure: Normal Saline
Intra-operative irrigation with normal saline
Active Comparator: Sterile Water
Patients were randomized to receive sterile water as an irrigation solution during appendectomy.
Procedure: Sterile Water
Intra-operative irrigation with sterile water
No Intervention: No irrigation used
Patients who do not receive any irrigation at time of operation.

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
Post-operative deep space organ infection as defined by the Surgical Infection Society
Time Frame: 30 days
Infection after surgery within the peritoneal space
30 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
Temperature greater than 38.5 degree Celsius
Time Frame: 30 days
Chart review for evidence of prolonged fever >38.5 for >2 days
30 days
Greater than 2 days to return of bowel function as evident by either flatus or bowel movement
Time Frame: 30 days
Chart review for evidence of prolonged ileus for >2days
30 days
Length of Hospital Stay
Time Frame: 30 days
Medical record will be reviewed for hospital length of stay following surgery
30 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.
University of Missouri-Columbia

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: Arthur Rawlings, MD, University of Missouri-Columbia

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 (Actual)

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.
October 10, 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.
September 10, 2015

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.
November 29, 2017

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).
March 8, 2016

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.
March 15, 2016

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.
March 21, 2016

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.
October 15, 2018

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 10, 2018

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, 2018

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.
  • 1201672

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

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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.

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