Conditions: Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Cerebral Vasospasm
Keywords: SAH Vasospasm
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 25
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to test whether treatment with a drug called Simvastatin prevents and improves outcome in patients who have Subarachnoid bleeding. Simvastatin is currently approved for the treatment of high cholesterol levels.

Detailed description:
Aneurysmal Subarachnoid hemorrhage or SAH (bleeding on the surface of the brain) affects 10 per 100,000 population each year. For survivors of the initial hemorrhage, delayed narrowing of the blood vessels (vasospasm) and related delayed strokes are the most common serious complication. Narrowing of blood vessels affect 30% of patients with such bleeding. Despite maximum therapy, nearly 50% of patients with symptomatic vasospasm with develop stroke. Because cerebral vasospasm remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality after aSAH, this critically important issue needs further studies.

One hundred and fifty patients will be randomized, 50 to each arm of the study. Patients enrolled in the study will be receive the drug (either Simvastatin 40 mg or Simvastatin 80 mg per mouth daily), while the control group will receive a sugar tablet. The treatment will be continued for a total of 21 days. The neurological abilities (Stroke Outcome measures, these are included with the application for your review) at day 21 post aSAH will be reviewed at time of discharge as well at 6 months of follow up.

Arms:
arm 1: Placebo tablet arm 2: Simvastatin 40 mg arm 3: Simvastatin 80 mg

Interventions: intervention 1: Simvastatin 40 mg intervention 2: Placebo intervention 3: Simvastatin 80 mg
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Comparing two doses of Simvastatin to placebo intervention 2: Placebo tablet intervention 3: Comparing two doses of Simvastatin to placebo

Protocol document: