Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery Pathway for Burr-hole Drainage in Patients With a Chronic Subdural Hematoma (ERP-cSDH)

February 16, 2026 updated by: Siebe Orolé, Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

Enhanced Recovery Pathway for Chronic Subdural Hematoma

A chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a type of intracranial hematoma that primarily affects older adults. The rising incidence of this condition, coupled with the high healthcare burden of this disease, calls for an update of the medical care program. We introduced an enhanced recovery protocol (ERP) at our center for patients undergoing surgical treatment (by means of burr-hole drainage) for a cSDH. Our ERP includes guidelines for treatment decisions (surgery or middle meningeal artery embolization), modifications in surgical techniques, and standardized postoperative management strategies. This study prospectively analyses the safety and efficacy of this enhanced recovery protocol for patients undergoing burr hole drainage of a chronic subdural hematoma. Safety and efficacy outcomes will be compared with outcomes of a historical patient cohort. Safety of the protocol will be measured in terms of recurrence rate (6-month follow-up, primary outcome), complication incidence, and 30-day mortality. Efficacy of the enhanced recovery protocol will be represented by the length-of-stay.

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.

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.
Observational

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.
150

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

  • Belgium
      • Leuven, Belgium, 3000
        • Recruiting
        • University Hospitals Leuven
        • 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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

All patients of 18 years or older with a chronic subdural hematoma for which burr-hole drainage is scheduled.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Existence of a chronic subdural hematoma requiring burr-hole drainage
  • Written informed consent to participate in the study must be obtained from the subject. If the subject is not capable of self-consent, all efforts will be made to locate a legally acceptable representative to act on behalf of the subject. When the patient is considered capable to consent but physically unable to sign an informed consent form and a representative is not available an impartial witness can attend the informed consent process.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Existence of an important underlying cerebral lesion (e.g. a vascular lesion, tumor)
  • History of treatment (surgical or by middle meningeal artery embolization) of a same sided cSDH

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
ERP-cohort
Cohort of patients treated after ERP-implementation, prospective data collection
Pre-ERP-cohort
Patients treated before ERP-implementation, retrospective identified

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
Recurrence rate
Time Frame: 6 months after surgery
Recurrence is defined as persistent deficits, clinical deterioration or radiographic hematoma enlargement requiring ipsilateral re-intervention (surgical or by means of middle meningeal artery embolization), assessed until 6 months after index surgery.
6 months after surgery

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
Length-of-stay
Time Frame: Up to 6 months after surgery
Up to 6 months after surgery
Complication incidence
Time Frame: 30 days after surgery
Complications will be classified as medical complications (any nonsurgical complication occurring during the hospital stay after the surgery) and surgical complications. Medical complications are considered minor if complete recovery is to be expected (eg, electrolyte disturbances or urinary tract infection) and major in case of potential serious consequences and partial or no recovery (eg, stroke, severe pneumonia, or pulmonary embolism). Surgical complications are defined as every complication directly related to the surgery. Epileptic seizures in the postoperative period will be considered separately.
30 days after surgery
Mortality
Time Frame: 30 days after surgery
30-day mortality
30 days after surgery
5-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L)
Time Frame: 6 months after surgery

The EQ-5D-5L consists of 2 pages: the EQ-5D descriptive system and the EQ visual analogue scale (EQ VAS).

The descriptive systems score ranges from 5 to 25, with a higher score meaning worse health. De EQ VAS is scored from 0 to 100, with a higher score meaning better self-rated health.
6 months after surgery
modified Rankin Scale (mRS)
Time Frame: 6 months after surgery
Scale measuring degree of disability or dependence in daily activities, with scores ranging from 0 (no symptoms at all) to 5 (dead).
6 months after surgery

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.
Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

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: Thomas Decramer, MD, PhD, Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

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.
December 23, 2024

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.
September 30, 2027

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 31, 2028

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 1, 2025

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.
February 16, 2026

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.
February 19, 2026

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.
February 19, 2026

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.
February 16, 2026

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.
February 1, 2026

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.
  • S68819

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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