Clinical trial NCT02311985: Comparison of Three Transfusion Strategies for Central Venous Catheterization in Cirrhotics: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Official title: Point-of-care Versus Standard Coagulation Tests Versus Restrictive Strategy to Guide Transfusion in Chronic Liver Failure Patients Requiring Central Venous Line: Prospective Randomized Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: TERMINATED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Liver Cirrhosis
Keywords: Liver cirrhosis
Blood coagulation
Thromboelastography
Blood transfusion
Catheterization, central venous
Lead sponsor: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-12-09
Enrollment: 57
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The aim of this study is to compare three different blood transfusion strategies for coagulopathy correction before central venous catheterization in patients with chronic liver failure (cirrhosis and/or chronic liver graft dysfunction) admitted in intensive care unit.

Detailed description: Central venous catheterization is a ubiquitous procedure in intensive care units and is mainly used for drug administration, hemodynamic monitoring and hemodialysis. Only in US more than five million catheters are inserted annually. One of the main complications associated to central venous lines are the mechanical ones, i.e. arterial puncture, bleeding and hematoma formation, which varies between 5% and 19%. The use of real-time ultrasonography to accomplish central venous catheterization was associated to a drastic reduction in complication rates, and when performed by trained personnel, some series show complications rates \<1%, even in patients with coagulopathy.

Patients presenting with chronic liver failure has a complex coagulation system balance, resulting from reduction in the majority of procoagulant and anticoagulant factors, opposed by preservation of thrombin generation. Thus, these patients are prone to develop hemorrhagic and thrombotic phenomena. The coagulation of cirrhotic patients have been classically evaluated by standard coagulation tests. Nevertheless, these tests present important limitations, as evaluation of plasmatic component only, and do not predict bleeding risk. The thromboelastometry is a point-of-care real-time coagulation system evaluation with the advantage of evaluating the cellular and plasmatic components of the coagulation and present a more comprehensive evaluation of blood coagulation, specially in cirrhotics. This technology is associated with reduced costs in diverse clinical settings.

In clinical practice, approximately 90% of physicians empirically transfuse blood components to cirrhotic patients before invasive procedures. This practice is associated to increased risks related to blood transfusion per se, e.g. blood borne infections, immunologic and non-immunologic adverse reactions, to cite some. Several randomized clinical trials have shown that restrictive blood transfusion strategies are associated to better outcomes, including mortality.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Chronic liver failure (cirrhosis or chronic graft dysfunction) from any cause and medical indication of central venous line placement

Exclusion Criteria:

* Acute liver failure or
* Use of therapeutic doses of oral or parenteral anticoagulants (unfractionated heparin or low molecular weight heparin or oral anticoagulants) or
* Use of oral or parenteral platelet aggregation inhibitors or
* Patients with von Willebrand syndrome or
* Over-the-guidewire central venous catheter changing
* Patients previously included in this study protocol during the same hospital stay

Primary outcomes:
measure: Proportion of patients submitted to blood components transfusion - i.e. fresh frozen plasma, platelets and/or cryoprecipitate - before central venous catheterization
timeFrame: Day of randomization
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Incidence of hemorrhagic complications associated to central venous catheterization procedure
timeFrame: Day 1
measure: Incidence of acute immunologic and non-immunologic adverse effects of blood transfusion
timeFrame: Day 1
measure: Costs assessments (laboratory and blood transfusion) between the three strategies
timeFrame: Day 1
measure: Length of stay in ICU
timeFrame: Up to 90 days
measure: Length of stay in hospital
timeFrame: Up to 180 days
measure: Mortality rate
timeFrame: Up to 28 days
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Sao Paulo
country: Brazil
facility: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein
state: SP
Study officials:
affiliation: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein
name: Eliezer Silva, MD, PhD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: McGee DC, Gould MK. Preventing complications of central venous catheterization. N Engl J Med. 2003 Mar 20;348(12):1123-33. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra011883. No abstract available.
citation: Tercan F, Ozkan U, Oguzkurt L. US-guided placement of central vein catheters in patients with disorders of hemostasis. Eur J Radiol. 2008 Feb;65(2):253-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2007.04.002. Epub 2007 May 4.
citation: Tripodi A, Mannucci PM. The coagulopathy of chronic liver disease. N Engl J Med. 2011 Jul 14;365(2):147-56. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1011170. No abstract available.
citation: Stravitz RT. Potential applications of thromboelastography in patients with acute and chronic liver disease. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2012 Aug;8(8):513-20.
citation: Segal JB, Dzik WH; Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis Clinical Trials Network. Paucity of studies to support that abnormal coagulation test results predict bleeding in the setting of invasive procedures: an evidence-based review. Transfusion. 2005 Sep;45(9):1413-25. doi: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2005.00546.x.
citation: Schochl H, Nienaber U, Maegele M, Hochleitner G, Primavesi F, Steitz B, Arndt C, Hanke A, Voelckel W, Solomon C. Transfusion in trauma: thromboelastometry-guided coagulation factor concentrate-based therapy versus standard fresh frozen plasma-based therapy. Crit Care. 2011;15(2):R83. doi: 10.1186/cc10078. Epub 2011 Mar 4.
citation: Watson DM, Stanworth SJ, Wyncoll D, McAuley DF, Perkins GD, Young D, Biggin KJ, Walsh TS. A national clinical scenario-based survey of clinicians' attitudes towards fresh frozen plasma transfusion for critically ill patients. Transfus Med. 2011 Apr;21(2):124-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3148.2010.01049.x. Epub 2010 Nov 10.
citation: Stanworth SJ, Walsh TS, Prescott RJ, Lee RJ, Watson DM, Wyncoll D; Intensive Care Study of Coagulopathy (ISOC) investigators. A national study of plasma use in critical care: clinical indications, dose and effect on prothrombin time. Crit Care. 2011;15(2):R108. doi: 10.1186/cc10129. Epub 2011 Apr 5.
citation: Hebert PC, Wells G, Blajchman MA, Marshall J, Martin C, Pagliarello G, Tweeddale M, Schweitzer I, Yetisir E. A multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial of transfusion requirements in critical care. Transfusion Requirements in Critical Care Investigators, Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. N Engl J Med. 1999 Feb 11;340(6):409-17. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199902113400601.
citation: Hajjar LA, Vincent JL, Galas FR, Nakamura RE, Silva CM, Santos MH, Fukushima J, Kalil Filho R, Sierra DB, Lopes NH, Mauad T, Roquim AC, Sundin MR, Leao WC, Almeida JP, Pomerantzeff PM, Dallan LO, Jatene FB, Stolf NA, Auler JO Jr. Transfusion requirements after cardiac surgery: the TRACS randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2010 Oct 13;304(14):1559-67. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1446.
citation: Carson JL, Terrin ML, Noveck H, Sanders DW, Chaitman BR, Rhoads GG, Nemo G, Dragert K, Beaupre L, Hildebrand K, Macaulay W, Lewis C, Cook DR, Dobbin G, Zakriya KJ, Apple FS, Horney RA, Magaziner J; FOCUS Investigators. Liberal or restrictive transfusion in high-risk patients after hip surgery. N Engl J Med. 2011 Dec 29;365(26):2453-62. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1012452. Epub 2011 Dec 14.
citation: Villanueva C, Colomo A, Bosch A, Concepcion M, Hernandez-Gea V, Aracil C, Graupera I, Poca M, Alvarez-Urturi C, Gordillo J, Guarner-Argente C, Santalo M, Muniz E, Guarner C. Transfusion strategies for acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jan 3;368(1):11-21. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1211801.
citation: Rocha LL, Neto AS, Pessoa CMS, Almeida MD, Juffermans NP, Crochemore T, Rodrigues RR, Filho RR, de Freitas Chaves RC, Cavalheiro AM, Prado RR, Assuncao MSC, Guardia BD, Silva E, Correa TD. Comparison of three transfusion protocols prior to central venous catheterization in patients with cirrhosis: A randomized controlled trial. J Thromb Haemost. 2020 Mar;18(3):560-570. doi: 10.1111/jth.14672. Epub 2019 Dec 2.
citation: Rocha LL, Pessoa CM, Neto AS, do Prado RR, Silva E, de Almeida MD, Correa TD; POCKET Trial Investigators. Thromboelastometry versus standard coagulation tests versus restrictive protocol to guide blood transfusion prior to central venous catheterization in cirrhosis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2017 Feb 27;18(1):85. doi: 10.1186/s13063-017-1835-5.