Intravenous Methylene Blue for Treating Refractory Neonatal Septic Shock

NCT ID: NCT06306001

Last Updated: 2024-03-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE2/PHASE3

Total Enrollment

130 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-03-15

Study Completion Date

2027-02-28

Brief Summary

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Preterm infants (born at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy) sometimes develop a serious blood infection leading to low blood pressure, which does not respond to saline or to the standard medicines for increasing blood pressure, such as dopamine and epinephrine. The goal of this research study is to compare the effect of giving an injectable medicine called Methylene blue (MB) versus not giving MB to such preterm infants who are unresponsive to standard treatment. The main questions that this study aims to answer is:

1. Whether MB treatment reduces death to any cause as compared to no MB treatment.
2. Whether treatment with MB reduces the time to achieve normal blood pressure
3. Whether treatment with MB reduces the time to stoppage of all blood pressure medications, steroids and normal saline.
4. Whether treatment with MB improves heart function as measured by echocardiography at 24 and 48 hours.

Detailed Description

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Preterm infants with definite or probable sepsis and fluid-refractory, catecholamine-resistant septic shock will be eligible for enrolment if they have no contraindication to receive MB. After obtaining parental consent, they will be stratified as per the first-line catecholamine used and randomly allocated to receive MB (bolus followed by infusion) or no MB for 24 hours. They will be observed for all-cause mortality (primary outcome), cause-specific mortality, time to achieve hemodynamic stability and adverse effects (secondary outcomes) over a 7-day period, all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality hospital stay and duration of hospital stay.

The main questions it aims to answer are

1. To determine whether treatment with intravenous MB therapy reduces all-cause mortality when compared to no MB treatment, among preterm neonates with catecholamine-resistant septic shock
2. To compare the time to achieve therapeutic endpoints among preterm neonates with catecholamine-resistant septic shock treated with intravenous MB versus no MB
3. To compare time to stoppage of all inotrope/vasopressor treatment among preterm neonates with catecholamine-resistant septic shock treated with intravenous MB versus no MB
4. To compare echocardiographic parameters (at 24 hours after randomization) among preterm neonates with catecholamine-resistant septic shock treated with intravenous MB versus no MB

Conditions

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Neonatal Sepsis Shock, Septic

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Subjects will be randomly allocated to an intervention arm and a placebo arm. The 2 arms of the trial will run concurrently.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Outcome Assessors
The random allocation will be concealed using serially numbered opaque sealed envelopes. After opening the envelope, a research nurse will administer a bolus of the study drug or placebo behind a screen, shielded from other staff. The infusion will be drawn up in an opaque syringe by the research nurse and infused through an intravenous tubing covered completely with aluminum foil. The research nurses will not be masked to the study drug. The parents of the subject, the regular staff nurses and doctors working in the unit and the project coordinator will be masked.

Study Groups

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Methylene blue

Subjects in the intervention arm will receive a 1 mg/kg bolus of methylene blue over 30 minutes, followed by an infusion of 0.15 mg/kg/h. The infusion rate may be increased in steps of 0.15 mg/kg/h every 30 minutes until a maximum of 0.5 mg/kg/h.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Methylene Blue

Intervention Type DRUG

Subjects in the intervention arm will receive a 1 mg/kg bolus of methylene blue over 30 minutes, followed by an infusion of 0.15 mg/kg/h. The infusion rate may be increased in steps of 0.15 mg/kg/h every 30 minutes until a maximum of 0.5 mg/kg/h.

Placebo infusion

Subjects in the control arm will receive a placebo infusion (normal saline) at the same volumetric rate.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type OTHER

Subjects in the placebo arm will receive normal saline in the same volumetric dose as methylene blue in the intervention arm

Interventions

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Methylene Blue

Subjects in the intervention arm will receive a 1 mg/kg bolus of methylene blue over 30 minutes, followed by an infusion of 0.15 mg/kg/h. The infusion rate may be increased in steps of 0.15 mg/kg/h every 30 minutes until a maximum of 0.5 mg/kg/h.

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo

Subjects in the placebo arm will receive normal saline in the same volumetric dose as methylene blue in the intervention arm

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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MB Normal saline

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Definite/probable sepsis :Clinical syndrome of sepsis for which bedside neonatologist starts intravenous antibiotics AND either a positive culture of otherwise sterile body fluid OR presence of any 2 or more of the following five markers of sepsis: (a) C-reactive protein \>10 mg/dL; (b) procalcitonin as per age-appropriate cut-off (c) total leukocyte count and absolute neutrophilic count beyond acceptable range (d) chest X-ray adjudged as pneumonia by two independent Neonatologists.
2. Shock: adapted from the definition given by Davis et al 2017

1. Either SBP \< age and gestation appropriate cut-off OR
2. Presence of any 2 of the following 6 parameters i. HR \>205/min ii. Central pulses either week OR bounding iii. CRT \>3 sec OR flash refill (\<1 sec) iv. skin mottled/cool OR flushed v. urine output \<0.5 ml/kg/h in the preceding 6 hours vi. DBP \< age and gestation appropriate cut-off
3. Fluid and catecholamine-resistant shock: received fluid boluses up to a maximum of 40 ml/kg followed by catecholamine infusion titrated up to the maximum dose. The catecholamine infusion could be either dopamine (maximum dose 20 µg/kg/min) or epinephrine (maximum dose 0.4 µg/kg/min) or norepinephrine (maximum dose 0.4 µg/kg/min).

Exclusion Criteria

excluded if ≥1 criterion positive:

1. G6PD deficient or family history of G6PD deficiency
2. Potentially lethal malformation
3. Congenital heart disease
4. Severe acute kidney injury
5. Family history of allergy to methylene blue or food dyes
Minimum Eligible Age

0 Days

Maximum Eligible Age

28 Days

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Sourabh Dutta

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Sourabh Dutta, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh

Locations

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Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER)

Chandigarh, , India

Site Status

Countries

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India

Central Contacts

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Sourabh Dutta, MD, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+91-1722755313

Sajan Saini, MD, DM

Role: CONTACT

+91-1722756264

References

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Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Related Links

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https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240010789

Global report on the epidemiology and burden of sepsis \[Internet\]. 2020

Other Identifiers

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IIRP-2023-1820/F1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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