Vitamin C, Thiamine, and Steroids in Sepsis

Sepsis Clinical Trial

— VICTAS  

Official title:

A Multi-center, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Adaptive Clinical Trial of Vitamin C, Thiamine and Steroids as Combination Therapy in Patients With Sepsis.

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03509350
• Other study ID #: IRB00102528
• Secondary ID: IRB00164053
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: August 22, 2018
• Est. completion date: January 29, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: March 2021
• Source: Emory University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The VItamin C, Thiamine And Steroids in Sepsis (VICTAS) Study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive randomized clinical trial designed to investigate the efficacy of the combined use of vitamin C, thiamine and corticosteroids versus indistinguishable placebos for patients with sepsis. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy of combination therapy using vitamin C, thiamine and corticosteroids in reducing mortality and improving organ function in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Description:

Sepsis is an inflammatory syndrome with life threatening organ dysfunction resulting from a dysregulated host response to infection. The global burden is estimated to exceed 15 million cases annually. In the United States, the incidence is increasing and currently there are more 1,750,000 cases each year, with more than half requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Further, sepsis cases account for 30%- 50% of all hospital deaths, making it the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States, and is the most expensive reason for hospitalization with annual expenditures exceeding $20 billion. Notably, even among those that do survive, many endure significant reductions in physical, emotional and cognitive quality of life. New therapeutic approaches to reduce the high morbidity and mortality of sepsis are needed.

Current management strategies focus on early aggressive fluid resuscitation, blood pressure support with vasopressors, early appropriate antibiotics, and the identification and control of infected sites. Though outcomes have improved with the bundled deployment of these strategies, mortality remains high at 20 - 30%. Despite over a hundred phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials of pharmacological agents with the potential to improve sepsis outcomes, only antibiotics have demonstrated reproducible benefits.

The purpose of the current study is therefore to determine (or confirm) the efficacy of the combination therapy consisting of vitamin C, thiamine, and corticosteroids in the management of patients with circulatory and/or respiratory dysfunction resulting from sepsis. This subset of sepsis patients has been chosen because they are easily identified, have a high mortality, and consume significant critical care resources. As such, any improvements in outcomes attributed to effective therapies would be of great value to patients, as well as their care providers and healthcare systems. Further, because the promulgated therapies are composed of three inexpensive and readily available drugs, its efficacy would have important implications the management of sepsis in both well and poorly resourced settings worldwide.

The VItamin C, Thiamine And Steroids in Sepsis (VICTAS) Study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive randomized clinical trial designed to investigate the efficacy of the combined use of vitamin C, thiamine and corticosteroids (the Treatment Protocol) versus indistinguishable placebos (the Control Protocol) for patients with sepsis. The trial will enroll up to 2000 participant and employs a novel endpoint that approximates a patient's risk of death based on the time spent on vasopressors or receiving respiratory support. Time spent on vasopressors or receiving respiratory support captures a patient's speed of recovery. Mortality rate is a key secondary endpoint for the trial.

Specific Aims

1. To demonstrate the efficacy of combination therapy using vitamin C, thiamine and corticosteroids to reduce the duration of cardiovascular and respiratory organ dysfunction in critically ill patients with sepsis.

2. To demonstrate the efficacy of combination therapy using vitamin C, thiamine and corticosteroids to reduce 30-day mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Explicit subject consent for participation in long term telephone follow-up will be sought for all patients at all sites. Participation in long term outcome assessments is not required for participation in other aspects of the VICTAS study, i.e., patients may individually opt out of this portion of the study. In these participants a diverse array of neurocognitive outcomes will be assessed approximately 6 months after patient discharge. Evaluations will be done using a specially-designed battery of tests that evaluates key aspects of functioning and behavior and will be administered via phone by the Vanderbilt Long-Term Outcomes team, which will serve as the coordinating center for these follow-up assessments. The battery, which takes about 40 minutes to complete, will assess cognition, mental health, quality of life, and employment - all of which have been shown to be adversely affected in between one third and two thirds of survivors of sepsis.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 501
• Est. completion date: January 29, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: August 22, 2019
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Suspected or confirmed infection as evidenced by ordering of blood cultures and administration of at least one antimicrobial agent

• Anticipated or confirmed intensive care unit (ICU) admission

• Acute respiratory or cardiovascular organ dysfunction attributed to sepsis as evidenced by at least one of the following requirements:

1. Vasopressor Requirement - Continuous infusion of norepinephrine, epinephrine, vasopressin, dopamine, phenylephrine or other vasopressor agents at any dose for greater than 1 hour and required to maintain a mean arterial pressure = 65 mm Hg despite intravenous crystalloid infusion of at least 1000cc

2. Respiratory Support Requirement - Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure defined as persistent hypoxemia (partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) = 300 or blood oxygen saturation (SpO2)/FiO2 = 315) requiring (1) intubation and mechanical ventilation, or (2) positive pressure ventilation via tight-fitting face mask (i.e. continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) or (3) high flow nasal cannula = 40 liter per minute (LPM) flow and FiO2 = 0.40

Exclusion Criteria:

• Weight < 40 kilograms (kg)

• Prior enrollment in this study

• Qualifying organ dysfunction no longer present at the time subject would be randomized

• Cardiovascular or respiratory organ failure caused by an illness other than sepsis

• First episode of qualifying organ dysfunction during the current emergency department (ED) or ICU admission occurred > 24 hours before the subject could be randomized

• Limitations of care (defined as refusal of cardiovascular and respiratory support modes) including "do not intubate" (DNI) status

• Current hospitalization > 30 days at time of randomization

• Chronic hypoxemia requiring supplemental non-invasive oxygen (nasal cannula or NIPPV) or home mechanical ventilation

• Chronic cardiovascular failure requiring home mechanical hemodynamic support (e.g., LVAD) or home chemical hemodynamic support (e.g., milrinone)

• Known allergy or contraindication to vitamin C, thiamine, and/or corticosteroids (including previously or currently diagnosed primary hyperoxaluria and/or oxalate nephropathy, or known/suspected ethylene glycol ingestion, or known glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency)

• Use of vitamin C at a dose of > 1 gram daily within the 24 hours preceding first episode of qualifying organ dysfunction during a given ED or ICU admission

• Chronic disease/illness that, in the opinion of the site investigator, have an expected lifespan of < 30 days unrelated to current sepsis diagnosis (e.g., stage IV malignancy, neurodegenerative disease, etc.)

• Pregnancy or known active breastfeeding

• Prisoner or Incarceration

• Current participation in another interventional research study

• Inability or unwillingness of subject or legal surrogate/representative to give written informed consent

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Sepsis
• Toxemia

Intervention

Drug:
• Vitamin C
Intravenous vitamin C (1.5 grams every 6 hours) will be administered for 4 days or until ICU discharge.
• Thiamine
Intravenous thiamine (100 mg every 6 hours) will be administered for 4 days or until ICU discharge.
• Hydrocortisone
Intravenous hydrocortisone (50 mg every 6 hours) will be administered for 4 days or until ICU discharge.
• Vitamin C Placebo
A placebo to match intravenous vitamin C (1.5 grams every 6 hours) will be administered for 4 days or until ICU discharge.
• Thiamine Placebo
A placebo to match intravenous thiamine (100 mg every 6 hours) will be administered for 4 days or until ICU discharge.
• Hydrocortisone Placebo
A placebo to match intravenous hydrocortisone (50 mg every 6 hours) will be administered for 4 days or until ICU discharge. Steroids will be used when clinically indicated.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor	Michigan
United States	Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital	Atlanta	Georgia
United States	Emory University Hospital	Atlanta	Georgia
United States	Grady Memorial Hospital	Atlanta	Georgia
United States	Piedmont Healthcare	Atlanta	Georgia
United States	Johns Hopkins Bayview	Baltimore	Maryland
United States	Johns Hopkins Hospital	Baltimore	Maryland
United States	University of Maryland School of Medicine	Baltimore	Maryland
United States	Montefiore Medical Center Moses	Bronx	New York
United States	Montefiore Medical Center Weiler	Bronx	New York
United States	Medical University of South Carolina	Charleston	South Carolina
United States	University of Cincinnati Physicians Company	Cincinnati	Ohio
United States	Cleveland Clinic	Cleveland	Ohio
United States	Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center	Columbus	Ohio
United States	Denver Health	Denver	Colorado
United States	University of Colorado Denver	Denver	Colorado
United States	Henry Ford Health System	Detroit	Michigan
United States	Duke University	Durham	North Carolina
United States	University of Florida Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Florida
United States	David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA	Los Angeles	California
United States	Hennepin County Medical Center	Minneapolis	Minnesota
United States	Intermountain Medical Center	Murray	Utah
United States	Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Nashville	Tennessee
United States	Yale New Haven Hospital	New Haven	Connecticut
United States	Lousiana State University	New Orleans	Louisiana
United States	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	New York	New York
United States	Christiana Care	Newark	Delaware
United States	Sentara Healthcare	Norfolk	Virginia
United States	University of Nebraska Medical Center	Omaha	Nebraska
United States	Temple University	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
United States	Thomas Jefferson University	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
United States	University of Pennsylvania Health System Hospital	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
United States	Maricopa Integrated Health System	Phoenix	Arizona
United States	Oregon Health Sciences University	Portland	Oregon
United States	Bon Secours	Richmond	Virginia
United States	Virginia Commonwealth University	Richmond	Virginia
United States	Mayo Clinic	Rochester	Minnesota
United States	University of Utah	Salt Lake City	Utah
United States	Baystate Health	Springfield	Massachusetts
United States	Stanford University	Stanford	California
United States	University of Arizona	Tucson	Arizona
United States	Medstar Washington Hospital Center	Washington	District of Columbia
United States	Wake Forest University	Winston-Salem	North Carolina

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Emory University	The Marcus Foundation

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Vasopressor and Ventilator-free Days (VVFD)	The primary outcome measure is VVFD in the first 30 days after the start of treatment. The endpoint was recorded to the nearest day. Participants who died are scored zero days, even if there was a period during which the participant was alive and free of vasopressors and mechanical ventilation. Participants who must return to ventilation and/or vasopressors had their counters reset at zero days.	Up to Day 30
Secondary	Mortality at 30 Days	The number of participants who did not survive until Day 30 is compared between study arms.	Day 30
Secondary	Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Mortality	The number of participants who died while in the ICU is compared between study arms.	Day 30
Secondary	Mortality at 180 Days	The number of participants who did not survive until Day 180 is compared between study arms.	Day 180
Secondary	Length of ICU Stay	The number of days that participants were in the ICU is compared between study arms.	Day 30
Secondary	Length of Hospital Stay	The number of days that participants were in the hospital is compared between study arms.	Day 30
Secondary	Digit Span Test Score	The Digit Span Test is used to assesses attention. In the Digit Span Test, participants are read a series of numbers and are asked to repeat them back in the same order. The Digit Span test is scored by the number of digits the participant is able to remember in each test. Higher scores indicate greater ability to pay attention and to remember sequences. The average adult can remember about 7 numbers, plus or minus two, without making an error.	Day 180
Secondary	Number of Participants With Delirium Assessed With the DeliriumTelephone Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)	The Telephone CAM evaluates dementia with 9-items, where additional questions are asked if symptoms are present. Rather than providing a summary score, if participants exhibit signs of a change in mental status which fluctuates and they experience inattention, along with disorganized thinking or altered level of consciousness, delirium is suggested.	Day 180
Secondary	Hayling Test Score	Executive function is assessed with the Hayling Test. The Hayling Test includes two parts of 15 items each where participants complete sentences by providing the missing word. The test is scored as the amount of time it takes, in seconds, to recite a correct response and the appropriateness of the response (in Part 2). Scaled scores range from 1 to 10 where 1 = impaired, 6 = average, and 10 = very superior.	Day 180
Secondary	Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) Score	Language is assessed with the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). Participants generate words beginning with selected letters within 60 seconds. Generating a higher number of words indicates greater language skills.	Day 180
Secondary	Wechsler Memory Scale III - Delayed Recall Logical Memory Score	Memory is assessed with the Logical Memory subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale III. Participants listened to two short paragraphs and were asked to recall details from each story after 30 minutes. Scores represent the number of correctly remembered details. Total scores range from 0 to 25 with higher scores reflecting better memory.	Day 180
Secondary	Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS)	The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) is an 11-item instrument assessing orientation. Correct responses to the items are scored in a variety of ways, depending on how much of the response is correct. Total scores range from 0 to 41 with higher scores indicating increased cognitive orientation.	Day 180
Secondary	Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)-IV Similarities Score	Reasoning is assessed with the WAIS-IV Similarities instrument. Participants were asked to explain how two words are alike. Responses are scored according to how correct they are, with a score of 0 for incorrect answers. After 3 consecutive scores of 0 the survey is stopped. Total raw scores vary depending on the number of word pairs presented. Higher scores indicate better performance. Scores will be compared between study arms.	Day 180
Secondary	Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Score	Activities of daily living is assessed with the Katz ADL instrument. The Katz ADL has 6 items asking if participants can perform daily tasks independently. Responses are scored as 1 = yes and 0 = no. Total scores range from 0 to 6 with higher scores indicating greater independence.	Day 180
Secondary	Number of Participants Employed	The Employment Questionnaire is a brief measure of the participant's employment history and ability or capacity to work. The number of participants who indicated being employed are presented here.	Day 180
Secondary	Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) Score	Instrumental activities of daily living is assessed with the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ). The FAQ includes 10 items which are scored on a scale from 0 to 3 where 0 = normal and 3 = dependent. Total scores range from 0 to 30 and lower scores indicate that the respondent is able to perform daily activities. A score of 9 (where the person is dependent in 3 activities) is used as a cut-point indicating impairments with functioning.	Day 180
Secondary	Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression 6	Depression is assessed with the PROMIS Depression 6 instrument. This tool includes 6 items with response options on a scale of 1 to 5. Total raw scores range from 6 to 30 with higher scores indicating greater symptoms of depression.	Day 180
Secondary	Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-8 (PTSD-8) Score	Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is assessed with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - 8 instrument. The PTSD-8 includes 8 items which are answered on a 4 point scale where 01 = not at all and 3 = all of the time. Total scores range from 0 to 24 where higher scores indicate greater symptoms of PTSD.	Day 180
Secondary	EuroQol, 5 Dimension (EQ-5D) Visual Analog Scale Score	Quality of life is assessed with the Visual Analog Scale of the EuroQol, 5 dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire. The EQ-5D asks about 5 dimensions of health (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain, and depression). The questionnaire includes a visual analog scale where respondents rate their current health where 0 = worst health imaginable and 100 = best health imaginable.	Day 180