Conditions: Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Keywords: Acute hypertensive response intracerebral hemorrhage blood pressure outcome nicardipine
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 1000
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The specific aims of this study are to:

1. Definitively determine the therapeutic benefit of the intensive treatment relative to the standard treatment in the proportion of patients with death and disability (mRS 4-6) at 3 months among subjects with ICH who are treated within 4.5 hours of symptom onset.
2. Evaluate the therapeutic benefit of the intensive treatment relative to the standard treatment in the subjects' quality of life as measured by EuroQol at 3 months.
3. Evaluate the therapeutic benefit of the intensive treatment relative to the standard treatment in the proportion of hematoma expansion (defined as increase from baseline hematoma volume of at least 33%) and in the change from baseline peri-hematoma volume at 24 hours on the serial computed tomographic (CT) scans.
4. Assess the safety of the intensive treatment relative to the standard treatment in the proportion of subjects with treatment-related serious adverse events (SAEs) within 72 hours.

Detailed description:
The report from a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Workshop on priorities for clinical research in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in December 2003 recommended clinical trials for evaluation of blood pressure (BP) management in acute ICH as a leading priority. The Special Writing Group of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association in 1999 and 2007 emphasized the need for clinical trials to ensure evidence-based treatment of acute hypertension in ICH. Consequently, we propose to conduct a five-year international, multicenter, open-labeled, randomized, controlled, Phase III trial to determine the efficacy of early, intensive antihypertensive treatment using intravenous nicardipine for acute hypertension in subjects with co-morbid hypertension and spontaneous supratentorial ICH. The primary hypothesis of this large, streamlined, focused trial is that the group treated with intensive BP reduction (systolic BP \[SBP\] of 140 mmHg or less - hereafter referred to as the intensive treatment) using intravenous nicardipine infusion for 24 hours reduces the proportion of death and disability at 3 months by 10% or greater compared with the group treated with the standard BP reduction (SBP of 180 mmHg or less - hereafter referred to as the standard treatment) among patients with ICH treated within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. The underlying mechanism for this expected beneficial effect of intensive treatment is mediated through reduction of the rate and magnitude of hematoma expansion observed in approximately 38% of patients with acute ICH. The trial will recruit a maximum of 1,280 subjects with ICH who meet the eligibility criteria. The primary outcome is the proportion of death and disability at 3 months defined by modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of 4 to 6. The proposed clinical trial is the natural extension of numerous case series, a subsequent pilot trial funded by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Health (NIH), and a preliminary randomized controlled trial in this patient group funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, that have recently confirmed the safety and tolerability of both the regimen and goals of the antihypertensive treatment in acutely hypertensive patients with ICH proposed in the present trial. The proposed trial will have important public health implications by providing necessary information regarding the efficacy and safety of antihypertensive treatment of acute hypertension observed in up to 75% of the subjects with ICH. BP treatment represents a strategy that can be made widely available without the need of specialized equipment and personnel and therefore can make a major impact upon outcome in patients with ICH. Substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality appears possible if the estimates of treatment effect sizes from current pilot trials are accurate.

Arms:
arm 1: Intravenous nicardipine hydrochloride will be used as necessary (pro re nata or "PRN") as the primary agent in lowering SBP.

The goal for the standard BP reduction group will be to reduce and maintain SBP \< 180 mmHg for 24 hours from randomization. 160 mmHg is the target SBP for this arm.

For the standard group, SBP below the assigned treatment range is not artificially elevated to stay within the range if lower SBP occurs with nicardipine turned off (no fluid bolus given unless SBP falls below 110 mmHg with nicardipine off and there is risk for hypotension). Euvolemic fluid maintenance is encouraged for all patients according to their medical needs, which may differ. arm 2: Intravenous nicardipine hydrochloride will be used as necessary (pro re nata or "PRN") as the primary agent in lowering SBP.

The goal for the intensive BP reduction group will be to reduce and maintain SBP \< 140 mmHg for 24 hours from randomization. 125 mmHg is the target SBP for this arm.

For the intensive group, SBP falling below 110 mmHg (lower limit of the assigned treatment range) with nicardipine off is treated with normal saline fluid bolus to prevent or remedy hypotension. Euvolemic fluid maintenance is encouraged for all patients according to their medical needs, which may differ.

Interventions: intervention 1: Intravenous nicardipine hydrochloride
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: IV nicardipine is initiated at a rate of 5 mg/hr, is continued, and is increased by 2.5 mg/hr increments every 15 min until the target SBP or maximum dose of 15 mg/hr is reached. If SBP is above the target SBP despite infusion of the maximum nicardipine dose for 30 minutes, a second agent may be used (Labetalol 5-20 mg IV bolus every 15 min; diltiazem/urapidil in countries without labetalol) for another hour. Nicardipine infusion is decreased incrementally or is stopped if SBP falls below the desired treatment range.

Fluid bolus for SBP still falling below 110 mmHG (millimeters of mercury) with nicardipine off is given to prevent organ hypoperfusion. Vasopressor agents are not used unless symptoms related to or possibly exacerbated by hypoperfusion are present.

Protocol document: