View clinical trials related to Severe Falciparum Malaria.
Filter by:acidosis, acute renal failure and acute pulmonary oedema are common, and frequently fatal, manifestations of severe P. falciparum malaria. The course of all three might be ameliorated by optimising a patient's intravenous fluid therapy. The fluid treatment of severe malaria is presently empirical, by defining cardiovascular responses to volume replacement we would provide a physiological basis for resuscitation strategies. We will use pulse contour cardiac output monitoring (PiCCOTM) to guide the fluid resuscitation of patients admitted to intensive care with severe malaria. With data collected during the patients' admission we hope to: 1. Assess the degree of hypovolaemia in adults with severe malaria and its contribution to microcirculatory dysfunction and acidosis. 2. To assess the relationships between volume status, haemodynamic parameters and the renal and pulmonary manifestations of severe malaria. 3. To assess the utility of central venous pressure measurement as a guide for fluid administration in patients with severe malaria 4. To investigate the prognostic and clinical utility of central venous oxygen saturation in severe malaria In this way we hope to develop a greater understanding of the pathophysiology of haemodynamic derangement in severe malaria. By comparing the PiCCO derived data with simpler clinical parameters, we hope to determine potential fluid resuscitation strategies - relevant for a resource poor setting - whose efficacy could be confirmed in future trials.
Background: Mortality from severe malaria remains ~15% despite the use of the most rapidly parasiticidal antimalarial therapy, artesunate. Adjunctive treatments may improve outcome. Our overall goal is to determine if adjunctive treatment with L-arginine is safe and improves outcomes in severe malaria. In studies to date, we have shown that L-arginine is safe in moderately severe malaria, increases nitric oxide production and improves endothelial function. We now propose to extend these studies to patients with severe malaria. Aims: To determine the safety, preliminary efficacy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of L-arginine infusion in severe malaria. Hypothesis: L-arginine will improve endothelial function, lactate clearance time and tissue oxygen delivery compared to saline with no clinically significant adverse effects. Methods: Based on previous pharmacokinetic modeling and simulations, we propose a phase 2A randomised controlled trial of L-arginine vs saline in severe malaria, each given over 8 hours. If safety is demonstrated this will be followed by a phase 2B open-label study of 24-hour infusion of L-arginine in severe malaria with safety and preliminary efficacy compared with the 8 hour infusions given in phase 2A. The primary outcomes will be the improvement in endothelial function and lactate clearance in patients given L-arginine infusion compared with those who received saline. Among the secondary outcomes will be safety and the effect of L-arginine vs saline on tissue oxygen delivery (NIRS). Data from both phase 2A and 2B will be used to generate a pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic model.