Randomized Trial Comparing 3 Routes of Delivering Lorazepam to Children.

July 9, 2012 updated by: Elizabeth Molyneux, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Buccal, Intranasal or Intravenous Lorazepam for the Treatment of Acute Convulsions in Children in Blantyre, Malawi: a Randomized Trial

This study aims to address the hypothesis that Lorazepam (an anticonvulsant) is as effective when given via the intranasal or buccal route as the intravenous route in terminating convulsions in children.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Convulsions are common in children. Prompt treatment with an effective anticonvulsant reduces longterm morbidity and mortality. The use of intravenous lorazepam as first line therapy in acute childhood convulsions where venous access has been obtained is widely accepted in developed countries. However, intravenous access can be a problem out of hospital or in small children.

Benzodiazepines such as Lorazepam have long been the mainstay of first line therapy for acute convulsions but there is insufficient clinical evidence as to the optimal mode of administration when venous access has failed. Lorazepam can be given via the intranasal and buccal route offering the potential to be as effective as intravenous lorazepam whilst being easier to administer and avoiding the need for intravenous cannulation.

To date there are no large published studies that have evaluated the efficacy and safety of intranasal or buccal lorazepam compared to intravenous lorazepam in the treatment of acute convulsions. In this study we wish to address the urgent need to obtain randomized controlled data in treating acute convulsions in children using a drug and delivery system that is safe, effective and easy to use in our setting.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

800

Phase

  • 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

      • Blantyre, Malawi, 3
        • Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Paediatric Dept, Box 360

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

Ages Eligible for Study

2 months to 15 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

children with acute generalized seizures, continuing for a minimum of 5 minutes, who have not received any anti-convulsant therapy within 1 hour of presentation.

Exclusion Criteria:

Children who have received anticonvulsant treatment within 1 hour prior to assessment. Any child whose seizures cease following correction of hypoglycaemia. Children with a known adverse reaction to lorazepam.

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: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Whether cessation of fit was achieved within ten minutes or not.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Frequency of additional drugs required to terminate presenting seizure
Frequency of cardio-respiratory side effects
Seizure recurrence within 24 hours of terminating the presenting seizure
Time from identification of a fitting child to cessation of fit.
Outcome of patients including any neurological sequelae at hospital discharge.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Molyneux, College of Medicine

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

June 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 21, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 21, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

June 22, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 10, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 9, 2012

Last Verified

July 1, 2012

More Information

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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