Selective Antibiotics When Symptoms Develop Versus Universal Antibiotics for Preterm Neonates — SAUNA  

Sepsis Clinical Trial

Official title: Selective Antibiotics When Symptoms Develop Versus Universal Antibiotics for Preterm Neonates At-risk of Early-onset Bacterial Sepsis: a Multicentric, Randomized, Controlled, Non-inferiority Trial (the SAUNA Trial)

Status Not yet recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Preterm infants are born at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy. Sometimes a break or tear in the fluid filled bag that surrounds and protects the infant during pregnancy leads to an untimely birth. This state puts the infant at risk of serious condition called sepsis. Sepsis is a condition in which body responds inappropriately to an infection. Sepsis may progress to septic shock which can result in the loss of life. Doctors give antibiotics to treat sepsis.

The goal of this research study is to find out:

1. Among neonates at risk of early-onset neonatal sepsis, whether a policy of administering antibiotics selectively to a subset of at-risk infants who later develop signs of sepsis is not inferior to administering antibiotics to all at-risk infants in the 1st week of life.

2. To find out if infants receiving selective antibiotics (as above) compared to those receiving antibiotics from birth (as above) require fewer antibiotic courses of 48 hours duration or more in the 1st week of life.

3. To find out whether infants receiving selective antibiotics (as above) compared to those receiving antibiotics from birth (as above) are significantly different with respect to a wide range of secondary outcomes (listed under "Outcomes").

Clinical Trial Description

Sepsis is the major cause of neonatal mortality and early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) accounts for more than two-thirds of all cases of neonatal sepsis. Prolonged rupture of membranes (PROM) and preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM) are important risk factors of EONS. There is equipoise in the published literature whether antibiotics must be immediately initiated among all preterm neonates (<35 weeks gestation) delivered following PROM or pPROM who are asymptomatic at birth or whether antibiotics can be selectively administered if and when the at-risk neonates become symptomatic.

Among neonates <35 weeks gestation born with PROM >18 hours or pPROM and who are either asymptomatic or have no symptoms of sepsis at 4 hrs postnatally (P), is selectively administering antibiotics to neonates who later develop clinical sepsis [I] compared to administering antibiotics pre-emptively to all at-risk neonates [C] non-inferior with respect to the composite outcome of "mortality and/or culture-positive sepsis and/or severe sepsis" [O] within 7 days after enrolment [T] by an absolute margin of 7% [E] in a randomized controlled trial (S)? The trial will also have a superiority outcome: "need for antibiotic treatment lasting greater than 48 hours within 7 days after enrolment". The absolute superiority margin will be 50%.

The main objectives are as follows:

1. To determine whether antibiotics administered selectively to at-risk preterm neonates [<35 weeks gestation with prolonged rupture of membranes (PROM) or preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM)] when they develop signs of sepsis compared to administering antibiotics from birth to all at-risk neonates is non-inferior with respect to the primary outcome of "mortality or any episode of culture-positive sepsis or severe sepsis" in the 1st week of life

2. To determine whether neonates receiving selective antibiotics (as above) compared to those receiving antibiotics from birth (as above) are superior with respect to the co-primary outcome of fewer antibiotic courses of 48 hours duration or more in the 1st week of life

3. To determine whether neonates receiving selective antibiotics (as above) compared to those receiving antibiotics from birth (as above) are significantly different with respect to a wide range of secondary outcomes (listed under "Outcomes") ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Early-Onset Neonatal Sepsis
• Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture
• Neonatal Sepsis
• Premature Birth
• Preterm Birth
• Preterm Premature Rupture of Membrane
• Rupture
• Sepsis
• Toxemia

• NCT number: NCT06377397
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Indian Council of Medical Research
• Contact: Sourabh Dutta, MD, Ph.D
• Phone: +91-1722755313
• Email: sourabhdutta1@gmail.com
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: April 15, 2024
• Completion date: April 14, 2028