Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

The Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, in conjunction with Roanoke Fire-EMS, Botetourt County Department of Fire & EMS and Salem Fire-EMS, are studying the outcomes of patients experiencing Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA). PEA refers to a type of cardiac arrest in which there is normal electrical activity in the heart however the heart still fails to contract to generate a pulse. Without heart contractions, which normally generates a pulse, the brain and other important organs fail to receive blood and oxygen. Unfortunately, the majority (97.3%) of patients that experience this rhythm do not survive and most don't even make it to the hospital. This study is trying to determine if the administration of a High Calcium, Low Sodium (HCLS) fluid in pre-hospital care will improve the chances of survival. Generally, a sodium (salt) solution is provided to patients experiencing cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that lower sodium and higher calcium content may activate certain parts of the heart cells required to generate a pulse under PEA conditions. This study is a double-blind, prospective, clinical trial. PEA patients will randomly receive either routine fluid therapy (salt solution) or a HCLS solution. While HCLS solution is not the standard fluid used by EMS providers responding to PEA, it is composed of FDA approved components and is occasionally used by EMS providers at their discretion in treating PEA. It is predicted that HCLS will either improve PEA survival or deliver similar outcomes as routine treatment. All patients will receive standard, high quality cardiac arrest and post-cardiac arrest care regardless of assigned treatment group.


Clinical Trial Description

Pursuant to a Waiver of Informed Consent, this investigation will automatically enroll all eligible PEA patients treated by Roanoke Fire-EMS, Botetourt County Department of Fire & EMS and/or Salem Fire-EMS systems. Once patients are enrolled, they will be de-facto randomized into one of two groups: control High Calcium-High Sodium (HCHS) or interventional High Calcium-Low Sodium (HCLS). Supervisors will have on their trucks, numbered-but-otherwise-blinded bags of half-normal saline or normal saline solution. The bags will be numbered, recorded and randomized by this study's investigators. Supervisors, when providing care, will universally administer 1g unblinded CaCl2 and then subsequently chose a crystalloid fluid set to use from their trucks randomly. The crystalloid will be administered as a wide open IV drip at a rate of at least 1000ml/hour, depending on gauge size, for as long as fluids are indicated for, likely resulting in a crystalloid dose of 0.5-2(L) liters. Each bag-set will have two bags of the same blinded unit to allow for treatment with up to (2L) 2 liters of fluid for a patient. Explicitly, all enrolled patients will be receiving calcium, it is only the crystalloid fluid (normal saline vs half-normal saline) that will differ. HCLS treatment was designed to be hyponatremic compared to normal saline (while both groups in this trial will be hypercalcemic compared to pure normal saline PEA therapy) in order to initiate low sodium inotropy. The contents of the bag will be blinded to the supervisor. Neither the patient nor the supervisor will know which treatment was given thus ensuring double-blinding. Further, by randomly choosing a bag with no knowledge of its contents, the treatment will effectively be randomized. Both groups will otherwise receive current routine Advanced Cardiac Life Support and either standard post-arrest care or standard termination of care. Per Roanoke Fire-EMS, Botetourt County Department of Fire & EMS and Salem Fire-EMS standard protocol, only patients who undergo ROSC on scene will be transported to a hospital. ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT05283850
Study type Interventional
Source Carilion Clinic
Contact Cara Spivy, MS
Phone 540-676-7965
Email crspivey@carilionclinic.org
Status Recruiting
Phase Phase 2/Phase 3
Start date February 16, 2022
Completion date February 2027

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Recruiting NCT06048068 - Removing Surrogates' Uncertainty to Reduce Fear and Anxiety After Cardiac Events N/A
Recruiting NCT05558228 - Accuracy of Doppler Ultrasound Versus Manual Palpation of Pulse in Cardiac Arrest
Completed NCT03685383 - Cytokine Adsorption in Post-cardiac Arrest Syndrome in Patients Requiring Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation N/A
Completed NCT04584645 - A Digital Flu Intervention for People With Cardiovascular Conditions N/A
Completed NCT04619498 - Effectiveness of an Interactive Cognitive Support Tablet App to Improve the Management of Pediatric Cardiac Arrest N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT05649891 - Checklists Resuscitation Emergency Department N/A
Withdrawn NCT02352350 - Lactate in Cardiac Arrest N/A
Completed NCT03024021 - Cerebral Oxymetry and Neurological Outcome in Therapeutic Hypothermia
Completed NCT02247947 - Proteomics to Identify Prognostic Markers After CPR and to Estimate Neurological Outcome
Completed NCT02275234 - Care After Resuscitation
Completed NCT01944605 - Intestinal Ischemia as a Stimulus for Systemic Inflammatory Response After Cardiac Arrest N/A
Completed NCT01936597 - Prospective Study of 3 Phone Assistance Strategies to Achieve a Continuous Cardiac Massage N/A
Completed NCT01972087 - Simulation Training to Improve 911 Dispatcher Identification of Cardiac Arrest N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT01239420 - Norwegian Cardio-Respiratory Arrest Study
Completed NCT00878644 - Therapeutic Hypothermia to Improve Survival After Cardiac Arrest in Pediatric Patients-THAPCA-OH [Out of Hospital] Trial Phase 3
Completed NCT01191736 - Ultra-Brief Versus Brief Hands Only CPR Video Training With and Without Psychomotor Skill Practice N/A
Completed NCT00880087 - Therapeutic Hypothermia to Improve Survival After Cardiac Arrest in Pediatric Patients-THAPCA-IH [In Hospital] Trial N/A
Completed NCT00729794 - Vasopressin, Epinephrine, and Steroids for Cardiac Arrest Phase 3
Recruiting NCT00441753 - Cerebral Bloodflow and Carbondioxide Reactivity During Mild Therapeutic Hypothermia in Patients After Cardiac Arrest N/A
Completed NCT00347477 - Fluid Shifts in Patients Treated With Therapeutic Hypothermia After Cardiac Arrest Phase 3