Hydrocortisone Treatment In Systemic Low Blood Pressure During Hypothermia in Asphyxiated Newborns

Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Clinical Trial

— CORTISoL  

Official title:

Prospective, Randomized, Double-blind, Cohort Study of Hydrocortisone vs Placebo in Systemic Low Blood Pressure During Hypothermia Treatment in Asphyxiated Newborns

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02700828
• Other study ID #: 1Ped-AsphCort 001
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2/Phase 3
• Start date: February 2016
• Est. completion date: December 15, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: April 2023
• Source: Semmelweis University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, single center study to compare low dose hydrocortisone vs placebo in systemic low blood pressure during hypothermia treatment in asphyxiated newborns. Patients will be allocated to one of the treatment arms (hydrocortisone or placebo) while receiving conventional inotropic therapy as needed.

The hypothesis is that cooled asphyxiated neonates develop relative adrenal insufficiency that may contribute to hypotension and lower efficacy of inotropic therapy in this patient population. Thus, the investigators are planning to measure initial serum cortisol levels and investigate the cardiovascular effects of low dose hydrocortisone supplementation besides conventional inotropic therapy in a placebo-controlled fashion.

Description:

Hypothesis:

The researchers hypothesized that asphyxiated neonates undergoing therapeutic hypothermia develop relative adrenal insufficiency that contributes to "late onset" (>24 hours after birth) hypotension resistant to optimized pharmacological support.

Thus, the investigators are planning to measure initial serum cortisol levels and investigate the cardiovascular effects of low dose hydrocortisone supplementation.

Specific aims:

1. To study initial serum cortisol levels in asphyxiated newborns undergoing therapeutic hypothermia with late onset hypotension.

2. To demonstrate that in asphyxiated newborns undergoing therapeutic hypothermia and presenting with systemic hypotension resistant to optimized pharmacological support, low dose hydrocortisone supplementation restores normal blood pressure when compared to placebo.

Methodology:

• Prospective, randomized, double-blind, single center, cohort study

• 1st Department of Paediatrics, NICU, Semmelweis University, Hungary

• Starting date: 02/14/2016

• Patient number: 16 vs 16 (hydrocortisone vs placebo - based on previous observational study results)

• Intervention (hydrocortisone vs placebo) applied only during therapeutic hypothermia (max. 72 hours)

• Neurodevelopmental follow-up visit: Bayley II/III scale to evaluate the effect of hydrocortisone treatment on the neurological development at the age between 18 and 22 months.

Drugs for hypotension, the hydrocortisone protocol:

1. Fluid replacement (volume bolus: 10-20 ml/kg isotonic saline, over 15 minutes, according to the clinician's decision)

2. In case of persisting hypotension: serum sample is collected for cortisol measurement.

3. Randomization, irrespective of actual cortisol level. As the study is blinded, enrollment in the clinical trial will/shall not influence the clinical decision making about further interventions. A dedicated study assistant will be available to prepare the drug / placebo for the newborns.

• Inotropic therapy (dopamine, following the standard titration protocol)

• AND (at start of dopamine) hydrocortisone: 4 * 0,5 mg/kg /24 hours (in every 6 hours) or placebo administration (the corresponding amount of isotonic saline)

4. After randomization, intervention is continued until the end of hypothermia treatment (max. 72 hours), with the same dose. Inotropic therapy will be titrated as needed.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 32
• Est. completion date: December 15, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: November 2017
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A to 72 Hours

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. The infant will be assessed sequentially by criteria A, B and C, as described by the TOBY trial and listed below, to be eligible for hypothermia treatment.

A. Infants = 36 completed weeks of gestation admitted to the NICU with at least one of the following:

• Apgar score of = 5 at 10 minutes after birth

• Continued need for resuscitation, including endotracheal or mask ventilation, at 10 minutes after birth

• Acidosis within 60 minutes of birth (defined as any occurrence of umbilical cord, arterial or capillary pH < 7.00)

• Base Deficit = 16 mmol/L in umbilical cord or any blood sample (arterial, venous or capillary) within 60 minutes of birth

B. Moderate to severe encephalopathy, consisting of altered state of consciousness (lethargy, stupor or coma) AND at least one of the following:

• hypotonia

• abnormal reflexes including oculomotor or pupillary abnormalities

• absent or weak suck

• clinical seizures

C. At least 30 minutes duration of aEEG recording that shows abnormal background aEEG activity or seizures. There must be one of the following:

• normal background with some seizure activity

• moderately abnormal activity

• suppressed activity

• continuous seizure activity

2. Invasive arterial blood pressure measurement: umbilical arterial catheter or peripheral arterial catheter to measure invasively the arterial blood pressure.

3. During hypothermia treatment low blood pressure was detected and treated with the following:

• fluid therapy: 10-20 ml/kg isotonic NaCl if hypotension is still present

• inotropic therapy: dopamine in parallel with study intervention

4. A written informed consent has been obtained from a parent of each infant after explanation of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Signed informed consent is unavailable.

2. Infants who are expected to be > 6 hours of age (not suitable for cooling).

3. Congenital abnormalities, cardiac anomalies, meconium aspiration syndrome.

4. Low blood pressure coincides with high heart rate (>120/min) in cooled infants, suggesting hypovolaemia.

5. Haematocrit level < 35%.

6. Need for combined, =2 types of inotropic therapy.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Asphyxia
• Brain Diseases
• Brain Ischemia
• Hypotension
• Hypothermia
• Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain
• Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy

Intervention

Drug:
• Hydrocortisone
4 * 0,5 mg/kg /24 hours (in every 6 hours) iv., during hypothermia treatment (max. 72 hours)
• Placebo
4 * 2 ml isotonic sodium chloride solution /24 hours (in every 6 hours) iv., during hypothermia treatment (max. 72 hours)

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Hungary	Semmelweis University, 1st Department of Paediatrics	Budapest	Pest

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Semmelweis University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Hungary, 

References & Publications (9)

Azzopardi DV, Strohm B, Edwards AD, Dyet L, Halliday HL, Juszczak E, Kapellou O, Levene M, Marlow N, Porter E, Thoresen M, Whitelaw A, Brocklehurst P; TOBY Study Group. Moderate hypothermia to treat perinatal asphyxial encephalopathy. N Engl J Med. 2009 Oct 1;361(14):1349-58. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0900854. Erratum In: N Engl J Med. 2010 Mar 18;362(11):1056. — View Citation

Hebbar KB, Stockwell JA, Leong T, Fortenberry JD. Incidence of adrenal insufficiency and impact of corticosteroid supplementation in critically ill children with systemic inflammatory syndrome and vasopressor-dependent shock. Crit Care Med. 2011 May;39(5):1145-50. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e31820eb4e4. — View Citation

Ibrahim H, Sinha IP, Subhedar NV. Corticosteroids for treating hypotension in preterm infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Dec 7;2011(12):CD003662. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003662.pub4. — View Citation

Kovacs K, Szakmar E, Meder U, Szakacs L, Cseko A, Vatai B, Szabo AJ, McNamara PJ, Szabo M, Jermendy A. A Randomized Controlled Study of Low-Dose Hydrocortisone Versus Placebo in Dopamine-Treated Hypotensive Neonates Undergoing Hypothermia Treatment for Hy — View Citation

Ng PC, Lam CW, Fok TF, Lee CH, Ma KC, Chan IH, Wong E. Refractory hypotension in preterm infants with adrenocortical insufficiency. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2001 Mar;84(2):F122-4. doi: 10.1136/fn.84.2.f122. — View Citation

Ng PC, Lee CH, Bnur FL, Chan IH, Lee AW, Wong E, Chan HB, Lam CW, Lee BS, Fok TF. A double-blind, randomized, controlled study of a "stress dose" of hydrocortisone for rescue treatment of refractory hypotension in preterm infants. Pediatrics. 2006 Feb;117(2):367-75. doi: 10.1542/peds.2005-0869. — View Citation

Noori S, Friedlich P, Wong P, Ebrahimi M, Siassi B, Seri I. Hemodynamic changes after low-dosage hydrocortisone administration in vasopressor-treated preterm and term neonates. Pediatrics. 2006 Oct;118(4):1456-66. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-0661. — View Citation

Rios DR, Moffett BS, Kaiser JR. Trends in pharmacotherapy for neonatal hypotension. J Pediatr. 2014 Oct;165(4):697-701.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.06.009. Epub 2014 Jul 16. — View Citation

Seri I, Tan R, Evans J. Cardiovascular effects of hydrocortisone in preterm infants with pressor-resistant hypotension. Pediatrics. 2001 May;107(5):1070-4. doi: 10.1542/peds.107.5.1070. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Compare mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) change in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	Circulatory stability as measured by an increased MAP (5 mmHg) within two hours after drug administration	2 hours
Secondary	Frequency of initially low serum cortisol in hypotensive asphyxiated newborns undergoing therapeutic hypothermia	Initially low serum cortisol - proven relative adrenal insufficiency	before hydrocortisone administration within max. 72 hours
Secondary	Length of dopamine treatment in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	Compare dopamine treatment's length (in hours) in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	72 hours
Secondary	Cumulative dopamine dose in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	Compare cumulative dopamine dose (mcg/kg) in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	72 hours
Secondary	Change in hourly diuresis in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	Measure and compare the hourly diuresis (ml/kg/hour) in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	72 hours
Secondary	Change in the echocardiography parameters (fractional shortening and cardiac output) in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	Fractional shortening (FS%) and cardiac output (CO in ml/kg/min) measurements before and after hydrocortisone or placebo, during the first 72 hours (during hypothermia treatment)	72 hours
Secondary	Long term neurodevelopmental outcome in the patients receiving hydrocortisone vs placebo	Performance on motor and mental scales of Bayley II/III scales of infant development	18-22 month