Comparison of Three Transfusion Strategies for Central Venous Catheterization in Cirrhotics: A Randomized Clinical Trial (POCKET)

March 5, 2018 updated by: Leonardo Lima Rocha, MD, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein

Point-of-care Versus Standard Coagulation Tests Versus Restrictive Strategy to Guide Transfusion in Chronic Liver Failure Patients Requiring Central Venous Line: Prospective Randomized Trial

The aim of this study is to compare three different blood transfusion strategies for coagulopathy correction before central venous catheterization in patients with chronic liver failure (cirrhosis and/or chronic liver graft dysfunction) admitted in intensive care unit.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Central venous catheterization is a ubiquitous procedure in intensive care units and is mainly used for drug administration, hemodynamic monitoring and hemodialysis. Only in US more than five million catheters are inserted annually. One of the main complications associated to central venous lines are the mechanical ones, i.e. arterial puncture, bleeding and hematoma formation, which varies between 5% and 19%. The use of real-time ultrasonography to accomplish central venous catheterization was associated to a drastic reduction in complication rates, and when performed by trained personnel, some series show complications rates <1%, even in patients with coagulopathy.

Patients presenting with chronic liver failure has a complex coagulation system balance, resulting from reduction in the majority of procoagulant and anticoagulant factors, opposed by preservation of thrombin generation. Thus, these patients are prone to develop hemorrhagic and thrombotic phenomena. The coagulation of cirrhotic patients have been classically evaluated by standard coagulation tests. Nevertheless, these tests present important limitations, as evaluation of plasmatic component only, and do not predict bleeding risk. The thromboelastometry is a point-of-care real-time coagulation system evaluation with the advantage of evaluating the cellular and plasmatic components of the coagulation and present a more comprehensive evaluation of blood coagulation, specially in cirrhotics. This technology is associated with reduced costs in diverse clinical settings.

In clinical practice, approximately 90% of physicians empirically transfuse blood components to cirrhotic patients before invasive procedures. This practice is associated to increased risks related to blood transfusion per se, e.g. blood borne infections, immunologic and non-immunologic adverse reactions, to cite some. Several randomized clinical trials have shown that restrictive blood transfusion strategies are associated to better outcomes, including mortality.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

57

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

    • SP
      • Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 05652-900
        • Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic liver failure (cirrhosis or chronic graft dysfunction) from any cause and medical indication of central venous line placement

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute liver failure or
  • Use of therapeutic doses of oral or parenteral anticoagulants (unfractionated heparin or low molecular weight heparin or oral anticoagulants) or
  • Use of oral or parenteral platelet aggregation inhibitors or
  • Patients with von Willebrand syndrome or
  • Over-the-guidewire central venous catheter changing
  • Patients previously included in this study protocol during the same hospital stay

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Coagulogram-based protocol
Arm based on standard coagulation tests protocol to guide blood transfusion before central venous catheterization. The possible components to be used include fresh frozen plasma, platelets (random or aphaeresis) and or cryoprecipitate.
The interventions for this protocol include transfusion of fresh frozen plasma, platelets (random or aphaeresis) and/or cryoprecipitate, based on international normalised ratio (INR), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), platelet count and/or fibrinogen. If INR >1.5 or PTT >50 sec., fresh frozen plasma is administered (dose: 10 mL/Kg); and/or platelets <50,000/microliter, random or aphaeresis platelets are administered (01 unit/Kg or 01 aphaeresis); and/or fibrinogen <150 mg/dL, cryoprecipitate is administered (dose: 01 unit/Kg).
Experimental: Thromboelastometry-based protocol
Arm based on rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM(R)) protocol to guide blood transfusion before central venous catheterization. The possible components to be used include fresh frozen plasma, platelets (random or aphaeresis) and or cryoprecipitate.
The interventions for this protocol include transfusion of fresh frozen plasma, platelets (random or aphaeresis) and/or cryoprecipitate, based on rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM(R)). If CTex <80 sec. and A10ex >40 mm, then no blood transfusion is performed; when CTex >80s, then fresh frozen plasma is administered (dose: 10 mL/Kg); and/or A10ex <40 mm or A10fib >10 mm, random or aphaeresis platelets are administered (01 unit/Kg or 01 aphaeresis); and/or A10ex <40 mm or A10fib <10 mm, cryoprecipitate is administered (dose: 01 unit/Kg).
Experimental: Restrictive strategy
Arm based on a restrictive protocol strategy based on INR/PT and platelets count. The possible components to be used include fresh frozen plasma and/or platelets (random or aphaeresis).
The interventions for this protocol include transfusion of fresh frozen plasma and/or platelets (random or aphaeresis), based on INR and platelet count. If INR >5, fresh frozen plasma is administered (dose: 10 mL/Kg); and/or platelets <25,000/microliter, random or aphaeresis platelets are administered (01 unit/Kg or 01 aphaeresis).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Proportion of patients submitted to blood components transfusion - i.e. fresh frozen plasma, platelets and/or cryoprecipitate - before central venous catheterization
Time Frame: Day of randomization
Day of randomization

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Incidence of hemorrhagic complications associated to central venous catheterization procedure
Time Frame: Day 1
Day 1
Incidence of acute immunologic and non-immunologic adverse effects of blood transfusion
Time Frame: Day 1
Day 1
Costs assessments (laboratory and blood transfusion) between the three strategies
Time Frame: Day 1
Day 1
Length of stay in ICU
Time Frame: Up to 90 days
Up to 90 days
Length of stay in hospital
Time Frame: Up to 180 days
Up to 180 days
Mortality rate
Time Frame: Up to 28 days
Up to 28 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Eliezer Silva, MD, PhD, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein

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

September 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 3, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 5, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

December 9, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 7, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2018

Last Verified

March 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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