Oxandrolone to Heal Pressure Ulcers

Pressure Ulcer Clinical Trial

Official title: CSP #535 - Anabolic Steroid Therapy on Pressure Ulcer Healing in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury

Status Terminated

Clinical Trial Summary

This study is designed to determine whether the use of oxandrolone, an anabolic steroid, can heal pressure ulcers in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). In a Feasibility Study, three VA SCI Units will screen and randomize patients into treatment with oxandrolone or with placebo. Eleven other sites will screen patients to determine eligibility but will not treat patients with the agent. Following the Feasibility Study, all sites will participate in a blinded, randomized treatment study. A total of 400 patients will be enrolled over a four-year period. Any patient in a participating unit who has chronic SCI and a difficult-to-heal pelvic ulcer will be eligible for the study if other entry criteria are met. All enrolled patients will be followed for a period of 24 weeks to determine whether their target pressure ulcers heal. Those who are healed will be followed for an additional four weeks to determine whether the ulcer remains healed.

Clinical Trial Description

The primary objective is to determine whether SCI inpatients with a chronic Stage III or IV pressure ulcer of the pelvic region who are randomized to receive 24 weeks of optimized clinical care and an oral anabolic steroid agent (oxandrolone) will have a greater percent of healed pressure ulcers than those who receive placebo and the same optimized clinical care. The major secondary objective is to determine whether the healed pressure ulcer will remain healed for at least 8 weeks.

Subjects are registered into a 4 week screening phase to be followed with weekly photos of the ulcer and if healed less than 30% (from the day 1 photo to the day 28 photo) with standard clinical care, they are introduced to the treatment phase (randomized) and followed for another 24 weeks on either oxandrolone or placebo. Wounds that heal (remain closed for at least 96 hours) are then subject to 2 four week follow up visits.

Criteria for entering the screening phase are simple: either gender, age 18 years or older, inpatient with SCI or equivalent spinal cord damage and at least 1 Stage III or IV (indicating a severe wound, <260cm2) pressure ulcer of the pelvic region.

September 2006 - year one report submitted and approved by Central Office. Plan to add up to 3 more sites in the next year.

January 2007 - site #16 (San Antonio) is approved by Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program Central Office to be invited. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Pressure Ulcer
• Ulcer

• NCT number: NCT00101361
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: VA Office of Research and Development
• Status: Terminated
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: August 2005
• Completion date: December 2008