Topical Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres Versus Electrocautery for Control of Pediatric Pos… (NCT00945412) | Clinical Trial Compass
WithdrawnPhase 3
Topical Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres Versus Electrocautery for Control of Pediatric Post-Tonsillectomy Bleeding
Stopped: PI moving to another institution
United States0Started 2009-07
Plain-language summary
The ultimate goal of this work is to establish a method for control bleeding after tonsillectomy in awake children. Treatment of post-tonsillectomy bleeding in children typically requires general anesthesia with currently used electrocautery techniques. Micropolysaccharide hemosphere technology is a unique absorbable agent that helps clot form. These hemospheres consist of 100% purified plant starch that enhances natural clotting by concentrating blood solids such as platelets, red blood cells, and blood proteins on the particle surfaces to form a gelled matrix. This device provides painless, non-irritating control of bleeding, and has been used effectively for control of nosebleeds in awake adult patients. This device, however, has not been tested in the tonsillar fossae in children; thus, this study is performed to determine if at least 50% of children with bleeding tonsillar fossae can be spared rescue treatment with electrocautery.
Who can participate
Age range
5 Years – 18 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Inclusion criteria
. Children and adolescents age 5-18 years old. The lower age range is chosen in order to spare younger, smaller children who have less circulating volume to decrease any potential unwarranted risks of increased bleeding. The upper age range is chosen because our ultimate focus is to determine whether this therapy can help the pediatric population prevent the need for electrocautery under anesthesia for tonsil-related bleeding.
. Obstructive sleep disorder symptomatology requiring surgical intervention. The presence of obstructive sleep disorder is determined according to the practice of the otolaryngologist investigator, and includes at least two of the following: medical history, physical exam findings, nasopharyngoscopy, lateral x-ray, sleep videotape, or polysomnography. In addition, the mean survey score on the OSD-6 (which is an instrument validated in children with obstructive sleep disorder (See Figure 2)) is at least 3, which corresponds to a moderate degree of symptoms (0 no symptoms, 6 symptoms could not be worse).
. Tonsillar or adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Tonsillar hypertrophy is defined as at least 3+ tonsillar hypertrophy on a scale of 1+ to 4+, with the following definition of grades of obstruction determined by visual inspection: 1+ 0-25%, 2+ 26-50%, 3+ 51-75%, 4+ 76-100%.
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Primary outcome measure: Adequacy of intraoperative hemostasis, as evaluated by the following metrics: 1. Requirement for rescue hemostasis. 2. Time to complete hemostasis.
. Bilateral microdebrider tonsillotomy. This method of surgery is chosen because it (1) is a standard technique utilized by the surgeons involved in this study as treatment of obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy and (2) results in a relatively uniform, reproducible bleeding surface that requires hemostasis following tonsil removal.
Exclusion criteria
. Personal or family history of bleeding diathesis or easy bruising. The introduction of this confounder should be avoided, given that the primary outcome is adequacy of hemostasis. Given that preoperative laboratory evaluation in the setting of no suggestive history has been shown to have low predictive values for successful perioperative hemostasis, enrolled subjects receive no preoperative laboratory screening.
. Intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs within 14 days prior to surgery. Although there are several trials that suggest that postoperative administration of these drugs may have no impact on hemorrhage, the topic remains controversial due to the large numbers of subjects required to achieve adequate power in such studies. Thus, the introduction of this potential confounder is avoided, given that the primary outcome is adequacy of hemostasis.
. Liver dysfunction. This disease state may also confound evaluation of hemostasis.
. Cardiac, renal, or blood pressure disorder. These states may make children less tolerant of hemorrhage, and so they are excluded in order to minimize risk.
. Chronic inflammation states, such as recurrent pharyngitis, may result in an increased propensity toward bleeding, and thus subjects with this potential confounder are excluded. Children with 3 or more acute pharyngitis episodes within the past year are excluded. A pharyngitis episode is defined as documentation by physician of the episode and \>1 of the following: oral \>38.3 degrees C, lymphadenopathy \>2cm or tender lymphadenopathy, tonsil/pharyngeal exudates, group A beta hemolytic streptococcus positive, or antibiotic administration for proved/suspected streptococcal infection.
. Implant contraindications to the use of monopolar electrocautery. Metal implants would preclude safe randomization to the electrocautery treatment arm. There are no suspected or known contraindications to application of MPH at the tonsillar fossae.
. Allergic or adverse reactions to requisite perioperative medications. The current protocol calls for the use of an antibiotic and narcotic pain medication in all subjects, with one second-line agent as a planned alternative. Thus, inability to tolerate both penicillin and macrolide antibiotics, or both oxycodone and codeine narcotics, precludes entry into the trial.
. Children whose caregivers cannot commit to the 2 week follow up schedule. This schedule includes daily calls to evaluate bleeding and pain control.