DASH After TBI Study: Decreasing Adrenergic or Sympathetic Hyperactivity After Traumatic Brain Injury

July 14, 2017 updated by: Mayur Patel, Vanderbilt University

DASH After TBI Study: Decreasing Adrenergic or Sympathetic Hyperactivity After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial Using Propranolol and Clonidine

The investigators intend to determine the effect of adrenergic blockade on 1) short-term physiology, behavior, and cognition and 2) long-term neuropsychological outcomes after severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

The primary hypothesis is that adrenergic blockade after severe TBI will be associated with increased ventilator-free days.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with sympathetic hyperactivity resulting in catecholamine excess, abnormal heart rate variability, agitation and sympathetic storms, deep white matter changes, and poor neuropsychological outcomes. Notably, persistent sympathetic hyperactivity after TBI results in higher days of mechanical ventilation and longer intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS). While there are data describing limited portions of this response, the full spectrum of sympathetic hyperactivity after severe TBI has not been systemically described or methodically intervened upon.

We will perform a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial in a 100 patient cohort in which one group will receive centrally acting sympatholytic drugs, propranolol and clonidine, and the other group, placebo, within 48 hours of severe TBI. The length of therapy will be 7 days.

The primary question studied is whether ventilator-free days will be increased after therapy.

Secondary endpoints include plasma and urine catecholamine levels, heart rate and blood pressure variability, responses to autonomic cold pressor testing, assessments of coma, sedation, and agitation, sedative requirements, analgesic use, antipsychotic medication use, coma-free days, ventilator-free days, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) length of stay, and survival. Also, neuropsychological outcomes will be measured at ICU discharge, 3 months, and 12 months.

Interim Analysis: At approximately 50% targeted accrual, n=46 randomized subjects, an interim analysis will be performed with A Priori (planned) futility and efficacy rules, which are DSMB and IRB approved.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

48

Phase

  • Phase 2

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
    • Tennessee
      • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37212
        • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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

16 years to 64 years (ADULT, CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age: 16 years to 64 years
  • Glasgow Coma Scale score less than or equal to 8 (Severe TBI) with injury on CT
  • Screen within 24 hours of injury

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pre-existing heart disease (i.e. coronary heart disease)
  • Pre-existing cardiac dysrhythmia
  • Allergy to study drugs
  • Penetrating brain injury
  • Pre-existing brain dysfunction (i.e. prior severe TBI, debilitating stroke)
  • Impending brain herniation (i.e. loss of bilateral corneal reflexes)
  • Craniectomy or craniotomy
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Myocardial injury
  • Severe liver disease
  • Current use of beta-blockers and/or alpha-2-agonist
  • Withdrawal of care expected in 24 hours
  • Prisoners
  • Pregnant women
  • Unable to follow-up through final visit

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
  • Masking: QUADRUPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Placebo
Drug: Placebo
Placebo IV q6h and Per Tube q12, both for 7 days
EXPERIMENTAL: Adrenergic Blockade
Propranolol and Clonidine
Drug: IV Propranolol and Per Tube Clonidine
1 mg IV q6h Propranolol and 0.1 mg Per Tube Clonidine, both for 7 days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Ventilator-free Days
Time Frame: Baseline to day 28
Baseline to day 28

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Plasma Norepinephrine Levels
Time Frame: Post-treatment (t=Day 8)
Post-treatment (t=Day 8)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Vanderbilt University

Collaborators

Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (CTSA)
Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mayur B Patel, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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

August 1, 2011

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

January 1, 2015

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 2, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 22, 2011

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

March 24, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

August 17, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 14, 2017

Last Verified

July 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 110429

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

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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