Plasma N-terminal proBNP Concentrations and Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Babies

September 17, 2009 updated by: St George's, University of London

A Study of the Value of Plasma N-terminal proBNP Concentrations for Diagnosing Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Babies.

Premature babies are affected by a condition known as "patent ductus arteriosus" in which the ductus arteriosus (a normal structure) fails to close after birth as it should. A very large ductus can put extra strain on the heart and lungs, making the baby's breathing dependent on a mechanical ventilator. Attending physicians can close the duct with medical\or surgical treatment but assessing whether this is justified can be difficult. The physician usually bases this decision on assessment of the baby's general condition and an ultrasound evaluation of the heart (called an "echocardiogram") but the last is particularly dependent on availability of skilled operators.

The investigators have examined whether blood levels of a hormone called B-type natriuretic peptide (Nt pro-BNP)in the first week of life predict the need to treat a ductus arteriosus. This hormone is produced by the heart if it is under strain. If the test is helpful it could reduce dependence of physicians on echocardiography by skilled operators.

Babies who were recruited had blood samples collected on days 1, 2, 3 and 7 for measurement of Nt pro-BNP. Each baby also had an echocardiogram performed between the fifth and seventh day of life. Decisions about treatment of the duct were made by attending physicians independent of the study. Physicians, investigators and echocardiographers were blinded to knowledge of the Nt pro-BNP concentration. Nt pro-BNP was also measured before and after treatment in all babies who had a PDA treated and echocardiography performed to confirm closure.

Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to assess the predictive value of Nt pro-BNP for samples collected at each time point. The investigators also compared the Nt pro-BNP levels in samples collected before and after treatment to assess the usefulness of Nt pr-BNP as an indicator of duct closure.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

102

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Preterm infants in a tertiary level neonatal intensive care unit

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Preterm babies under 34-weeks gestation admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known structural heart abnormality other than PDA

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
Treated PDA
Infants who had a PDA which the attending physicians treated medically or surgically.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

St George's, University of London

Collaborators

Medical Research Council
National Health Service, United Kingdom

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Santhanakrishnan Ramakrishnan, MB MRCPCH, St George's Healthcare NHS Trust
  • Study Director: Anthony F Williams, MB FRCPCH, St George's, University of London

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

May 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 28, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

July 30, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 18, 2009

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 17, 2009

Last Verified

September 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 04/Q0803/98

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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