Treatment of ELectroencephalographic STatus Epilepticus After Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation-2 (TELSTAR-2)

NCT ID: NCT06549426

Last Updated: 2025-05-16

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

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

150 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-04-10

Study Completion Date

2030-12-31

Brief Summary

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The goal of this comparative effectiveness trial is to study electrographic status epilepticus (ESE) treatment in comatose patients after cardiac arrest. The main questions the trial aims to answer are:

* Does ESE treatment improve outcome?
* What is the impact of ESE treatment on healthcare costs?

Participants in the the intervention group will receive standard care completed with anti-seizure treatment. The control group will receive standard care without anti-seizure treatment.

Detailed Description

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Rationale: Around 7500 comatose patients after cardiac arrest and resuscitation are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in the Netherlands and Belgium, yearly. Approximately half eventually dies from severe brain injury. EEG is used as a predictor of outcome, helping decide whether life sustaining therapies should be pursued or withdrawn. EEG shows epileptiform patterns meeting criteria for electrographic status epilepticus (ESE) in up to 10% of patients, with 80-100% case fatality. With the TELSTAR-1 trial, we showed that anti-seizure treatment of unselected patients with epileptiform patterns is not associated with a better outcome. However, it remains unclear whether treatment of (possible) ESE will improve outcome, or if ESE simply represents irreversible severe brain damage, in which case such treatment will be futile. This translates into ongoing practice variation. To provide comatose cardiac arrest survivors with the best medical treatment options, while at the same time preventing unnecessary costly ICU treatment, unequivocal evidence of efficacy or futility of ESE treatment is needed.

Objectives: It is the primary objective to study whether ESE treatment improves outcome of comatose patients after cardiac arrest. It is the secondary objective to study the impact on healthcare costs of ESE treatment.

Main trial endpoints: The primary outcome measure will be functional recovery expressed as the score on the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (eGOS) at six months after cardiac arrest. The primary effect parameter will be the common odds ratio for any shift towards a better outcome in the intervention group, analyzed by multivariable ordinal logistic regression.

Secondary trial endpoints: Secondary outcome measures include data on quality of life, cognitive functioning, and the use of resources. Cost-effectiveness will be assessed, separately for Belgium and for the Netherlands, adhering to 'KCE' and 'Zorginstituut' guidelines for pharmaco-economic evaluations, respectively.

Trial design: This will be a comparative effectiveness study, comparing two standard treatment regimens. We will conduct a prospective multicentre trial with randomized treatment allocation, open label treatment, and blinded endpoint assessment on twenty intensive care units in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Trial population: The study population consists of adult comatose patients after out of hospital cardiac arrest and successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation, admitted on the intensive care unit of any of the participating centres, with ESE on continuous EEG. Continuous EEG is part of standard care in all participating hospitals. For the definition of ESE, we adhere to international consensus criteria.

Interventions: Treatment in the intervention group will consist of standard care completed with anti-seizure treatment according to protocols for clinically overt status epilepticus with the goal of definitive seizure suppression. This consists of a stepwise approach, step 1 being a single dose of a parenteral benzodiazepine (lorazepam, midazolam, or diazepam) and a first parenteral anti-seizure medication (levetiracetam, valproate, or lacosamide), step 2, a second parenteral anti-seizure medication plus a first continuous parenteral sedative agent (midazolam or propofol), and step 3, a second continuous parenteral sedative agent (midazolam, propofol, or ketamine). Each next step will be taken as soon as possible (within 30 minutes) if the previous step was insufficiently effective to suppress ESE. The control group will receive standard care without anti-seizure treatment.

Conditions

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Coma Electrographic Status Epilepticus

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Intervention group

Standard care completed with stepwise anti-seizure treatment according to protocols for clinically overt status epilepticus. This consists of a stepwise approach consisting of 3 potential steps. Each next step will be taken as soon as possible (within 30 minutes of ESE first diagnosis or recurrence) if the previous step was insufficiently effective to sustainably suppress ESE.

Group Type OTHER

anti-seizure medication + sedative agent(s)

Intervention Type DRUG

Stepwise approach:

1. a single dose of a parenteral benzodiazepine (lorazepam, midazolam, or diazepam) and a first parenteral anti-seizure medication (levetiracetam, valproate, or lacosamide)
2. a second parenteral anti-seizure medication plus a first continuous parenteral sedative agent (midazolam or propofol)
3. a second continuous parenteral sedative agent (midazolam, propofol, or ketamine)

Control group

Standard care without anti-seizure treatment.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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anti-seizure medication + sedative agent(s)

Stepwise approach:

1. a single dose of a parenteral benzodiazepine (lorazepam, midazolam, or diazepam) and a first parenteral anti-seizure medication (levetiracetam, valproate, or lacosamide)
2. a second parenteral anti-seizure medication plus a first continuous parenteral sedative agent (midazolam or propofol)
3. a second continuous parenteral sedative agent (midazolam, propofol, or ketamine)

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Coma (Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤ 8) after out of hospital cardiac arrest and resuscitation
2. Age ≥ 18 years
3. Continuous EEG with at least eight electrodes started \< 24h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)
4. ESE or possible ESE according to the Salzburg and ACNS criteria
5. Possibility to start treatment within three hours after detection of ESE

Exclusion Criteria

1. Known history of another medical condition with limited life expectancy (\< six months)
2. Any progressive brain illness, such as a brain tumor or neurodegenerative disease
3. Pre-admission Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 3 or lower
4. Reason other than the neurological condition to withdraw treatment
5. EEG background activity prior to the emergence of ESE indicative of extensive irreversible anoxic brain injury
6. Follow-up impossible due to logistic reasons, for example not living in the Netherlands or Belgium
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

ZonMw: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Belgium Health Care Knowledge Centre

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Twente

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Jeannette Hofmeijer

prof. dr.

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Jeannette Hofmeijer, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Twente

Locations

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Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Pierre

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Marie Curie

Charleroi, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg

Genk, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent

Ghent, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Centre Hospitalier Chrétien - MontLégia

Liège, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart-Tilmant

Liège, , Belgium

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Amsterdam University Medical Center

Amsterdam, , Netherlands

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Rijnstate Hospital

Arnhem, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

Catharina Hospital

Eindhoven, , Netherlands

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Medical Spectrum Twente

Enschede, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

University Medical Center Groningen

Groningen, , Netherlands

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Leiden University Medical Center

Leiden, , Netherlands

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

St. Antonius Hospital

Nieuwegein, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital

Nijmegen, , Netherlands

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Radboud University Medical Center

Nijmegen, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

Erasmus University Medical Center

Rotterdam, , Netherlands

Site Status RECRUITING

Maasstad Hospital

Rotterdam, , Netherlands

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

VieCuri Medical Center

Venlo, , Netherlands

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Countries

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Belgium Netherlands

Central Contacts

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Jeannette Hofmeijer, MD

Role: CONTACT

+31 53 489 4835

Nicolas Gaspard, MD

Role: CONTACT

+32 2 555 46 22

Facility Contacts

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A. Herpain

Role: primary

F. Taccone

Role: primary

N. Gaspard

Role: backup

T. Balthazar

Role: primary

M. Piagnerelli

Role: primary

F. Bellante

Role: backup

K. Ameloot

Role: primary

P. Druwé

Role: primary

A. Meurs

Role: backup

P. Demaret

Role: primary

J. Truong

Role: backup

B. Lambermont

Role: primary

J. Horn

Role: primary

A. F. Van Rootselaar

Role: backup

J. Hofmeijer

Role: primary

M. J. Blans

Role: backup

L. C. Otterspeer

Role: primary

M. Van Eijck

Role: backup

M. C. Tjepkema-Cloostermans

Role: primary

A. Beishuizen

Role: backup

W. M. Van den Bergh

Role: primary

G. Drost

Role: backup

S. Tromp

Role: primary

J. Maas

Role: backup

E. Scholten

Role: primary

A. Seeber

Role: backup

F.A. P. Nijhuis

Role: primary

S. J. Booij

Role: backup

C.W. E. Hoedemaekers

Role: primary

C. Saris

Role: backup

M. Van der Jagt

Role: primary

R. van den Berg

Role: backup

E. C. Thomeer

Role: primary

W. Moudrous

Role: backup

N. Foudraine

Role: primary

E. Notting

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

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2024-516068-27-01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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