Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Appropriate delivery of adequate nutrition and medications in premature infants often requires central venous access in the form of a special IV called a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter). While a necessary feature of neonatal intensive care, PICCs pose significant risk: among the most serious of these is infection. One common, successful infection control practice used in older children and adults involves the use of a lock, in which a fluid-filled syringe is attached to the end of an IV when it is not in use in order to prevent and/or treat clotting or infection. The solution is left for some period of time and is then either withdrawn from the line or flushed into the patient. The solution could be saline, antibiotics, other antiseptics, or any combination of these. However in the premature infant, use of antibiotics as a locking compound risks leaving behind organisms resistant to treatment; antiseptics can irritate vessels and cause breakage to sensitive premature skin; saline has neither sterilization nor anti-infective properties. By contrast, ethanol neutralizes or kills most bacteria, viruses, and fungi without the risk of resistance, and because it is not externally applied there is no risk to baby skin. Ethanol-based lock protocols have been used safely and effectively in both adult and pediatric populations without adverse effects, but this has not been tested in premature babies because fluids and medication are delivered continuously: placement of a lock traditionally requires an extended pause (hours or days) in fluid and medication administration.

To overcome these key limitations, a periodic, brief ethanol lock protocol was designed such that both infant exposure and interruptions to fluid and medication delivery would be minimized. The lock is practical, cheap, easy to place, and takes advantage of an existing daily pause during which IV tubing and fluids hooked up to the PICC are changed. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that use of a 70% ethanol lock, every 3rd day, for 15 minutes, will safely and effectively reduce PICC infection in our unit.


Clinical Trial Description

PICC infection is of particular concern in the NICU because of the need for long term intravenous access in many very-low and the majority of extremely-low birthweight infants, the very populations at highest risk for infection in the first place. Central lines are a mainstay of treatment in these babies because of the need for extended parenteral nutrition, which itself has been associated with blood stream infection, not to mention the increased use of anti-infectives, added hospitalization costs, longer length of stay, and negative impact upon nutrition delivery when infectious complications occur.

Existing infection control practices differ by unit and region, and include hand washing, sterile precautions at insertion and dressing changes, elimination of mandatory scheduled dressing changes, minimizing port access to the extent permitted by clinical care, prophylactic antibiotics, and closed medication systems. Success is variable: there is no standard highly effective, safe approach to infection control, and central line infection remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the NICU.

A standard practice to maintain central line patency when it is not in use is to lock it with a syringe containing a heparinized solution. Locks containing antibiotics have been used to prevent infection of central lines and to treat already-infected lines, but this approach confers risk of development of organisms resistant to treatment. External chlorhexidine-impregnated dressings have been used but can harm premature skin and do not achieve sterilization of the lumen or hub, where most infections originate.

Medical grade ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is a widely used compound with uses as a disinfectant, preservative, antidote to ingested ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), and anti-microbial. The FDA lists no specific approval or indication though it's use is widely recognized. Multiple studies have been conducted in sheep, children and adults, using 0.5-2 mL 70% ethanol locks to successfully prevent and/or treat catheter related infection without development of resistant organisms, adverse side effects to patients, or disruptions in catheter integrity. Though the ethanol lock approach has not yet been applied to premature neonates, safe and successful precedent in humans as young as 3 months is established; ours is the first trial of ethanol locking in a NICU setting. ;


Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Prevention


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT01365312
Study type Interventional
Source East Carolina University
Contact
Status Terminated
Phase N/A
Start date February 2010

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Active, not recruiting NCT05095324 - The Biomarker Prediction Model of Septic Risk in Infected Patients
Completed NCT02714595 - Study of Cefiderocol (S-649266) or Best Available Therapy for the Treatment of Severe Infections Caused by Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative Pathogens Phase 3
Completed NCT03644030 - Phase Angle, Lean Body Mass Index and Tissue Edema and Immediate Outcome of Cardiac Surgery Patients
Completed NCT02867267 - The Efficacy and Safety of Ta1 for Sepsis Phase 3
Completed NCT04804306 - Sepsis Post Market Clinical Utility Simple Endpoint Study - HUMC
Recruiting NCT05578196 - Fecal Microbial Transplantation in Critically Ill Patients With Severe Infections. N/A
Terminated NCT04117568 - The Role of Emergency Neutrophils and Glycans in Postoperative and Septic Patients
Completed NCT03550794 - Thiamine as a Renal Protective Agent in Septic Shock Phase 2
Completed NCT04332861 - Evaluation of Infection in Obstructing Urolithiasis
Completed NCT04227652 - Control of Fever in Septic Patients N/A
Enrolling by invitation NCT05052203 - Researching the Effects of Sepsis on Quality Of Life, Vitality, Epigenome and Gene Expression During RecoverY From Sepsis
Terminated NCT03335124 - The Effect of Vitamin C, Thiamine and Hydrocortisone on Clinical Course and Outcome in Patients With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Phase 4
Recruiting NCT04005001 - Machine Learning Sepsis Alert Notification Using Clinical Data Phase 2
Completed NCT03258684 - Hydrocortisone, Vitamin C, and Thiamine for the Treatment of Sepsis and Septic Shock N/A
Recruiting NCT05217836 - Iron Metabolism Disorders in Patients With Sepsis or Septic Shock.
Completed NCT05018546 - Safety and Efficacy of Different Irrigation System in Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery N/A
Completed NCT03295825 - Heparin Binding Protein in Early Sepsis Diagnosis N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT06045130 - PUFAs in Preterm Infants
Not yet recruiting NCT05361135 - 18-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in S. Aureus Bacteraemia N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT05443854 - Impact of Aminoglycosides-based Antibiotics Combination and Protective Isolation on Outcomes in Critically-ill Neutropenic Patients With Sepsis: (Combination-Lock01) Phase 3