Dexamethasone for COVID-19 Related ARDS: a Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial

May 28, 2021 updated by: Pablo Oscar Rodriguez, Centro de Educación Medica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno

High Versus Low Dose Dexamethasone for the Treatment of COVID-19 Related ARDS: a Multicenter and Randomized Open-label Clinical Trial

There is compelling data indicating that there is an excessive inflammatory response in some patients with COVID-19 leading them to develop ARDS that can be severe with a very poor prognosis. Many of these patients require very long mechanical ventilation times to survive, which have led to the collapse of the health system in some regions of the world. The current evidence for the treatment of these severe forms is inconsistent and most scientific societies and governmental or international organizations recommend evaluating treatments with randomized clinical trials. Corticosteroids, being non-specific anti-inflammatory drugs, could shorten the duration of respiratory failure and improve the prognosis. Due to the lack of solid data available regarding this serious disease, our objective is to randomly evaluate the efficacy and safety of the use of dexamethasone, a parenteral corticosteroid approved in Argentina, in patients with ARDS with confirmed respiratory infection due to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

After RECOVERY trial prepublication, low dose (6 mg QD for 10 days) dexamethasone was recommended as the usual care treatment for severe COVID-19. At this time only 3 patients had been included in the trial. Thus, we updated our recommendations for centers and decided to compare two different doses of this glucocorticoid for the treatment of ADRS due to COVID-19.

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.

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.
100

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 3

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

  • Argentina
      • Caba, Argentina, 1431
        • Hospital Universitario Sede Saaveda - IUC CEMIC
      • Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1425
        • Hospital Universitario Sede Pombo - IUC CEMIC
      • Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
        • Sanatorio Sagrado Corazón
      • Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1425
        • Clinica Bazterrica

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 and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • ARDS according to Berlin's definition
  • PCR confirmed COVID-19
  • Length of mechanical ventilation less or equal to 72 hours

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy or breast-feeding women
  • Terminal illness with very poor prognosis according to the investigator judgement
  • Therapeutic limitation
  • Known immunocompromised condition
  • Chronic use of systemic corticosteroids
  • Participation in another randomized crinical trial
  • More than 5 days of treatment of low dose dexamethasone for COVID-19
  • Abscence of informed consent
  • Active participation in other randomized clinical trial

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: 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: High dose Dexamethasone
Intravenous Dexamethasone 16 mg qd from day 1 to 5 followed by 8 mg qd from day 6 to 10
Drug: High-Dose Dexamethasone
IV Dexamethasone administered once daily: 16 mg from day 1 to 5 and 8 mg from day 6 to 10
Other Names:
  • Corticosteroid
No Intervention: Usual care - low dose Dexamethasone
Intravenous Dexamethasone 6 mg qd for 10 days based on RECOVERY trial

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
Ventilator-free days at 28 days
Time Frame: 28 days after randomization
Days without ventilator support in the first 28 days following randomization
28 days after randomization
Time to successful discontinuation from mechanical ventilation
Time Frame: 28 days after randomization
Time to event (successful discontinuation from mechanical ventilation)
28 days after randomization

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
28-days mortality
Time Frame: 28 days after randomization
Dead rate within 28 days of randomization
28 days after randomization
Rate of nosocomial infections
Time Frame: 28 days after randomization
Rate of ventilator associated pneumonia, blood stream infection, urinary tract infection or candidemia in the first 28 days following randomization
28 days after randomization
SOFA variation
Time Frame: 10 days after randomization
Variation in SOFA over the first 10 days after randomization
10 days after randomization
Use of prone position
Time Frame: 10 days after randomization
Cumulative hours spent on prone position
10 days after randomization
Delirium
Time Frame: 28 days after randomization
Frequency of delirium at ICU discharge
28 days after randomization
Muscle weakness
Time Frame: 28 days after randomization
mMRC score at ICU discharge
28 days after randomization
90-day mortality
Time Frame: 90 days after randomization
Death rate within 90 days of randomization
90 days after randomization
Peak daily blood glucose
Time Frame: 10 days after randomization
Interaction between treatment and daily change in glucose
10 days after randomization

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.
Centro de Educación Medica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno

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: Pablo O Rodriguez, MD, Centro de Educación Medica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno
  • Principal Investigator: Luis P Maskin, MD, Centro de Educación Medica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno

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

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 (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.
May 21, 2020

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.
April 5, 2021

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.
May 21, 2021

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 16, 2020

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 18, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

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.
May 20, 2020

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.
June 2, 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.
May 28, 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.
May 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.
  • 1264

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.

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