7 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
This research study is being performed to see if women diagnosed with early preterm Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets (HELLP) syndrome (estimated gestational ages of 23-30 weeks) benefit from a medication called eculizumab (ECU). This drug blocks a part of the immune system called complement. By blocking this part of the immune system, eculizumab may stop or reverse the progression of the HELLP syndrome disease. The investigators will also look to see if this drug is effective and benefits both the mother and fetus.
The purpose of The Preeclampsia Registry is to collect and store medical and other information from women who have been medically diagnosed with preeclampsia or a related hypertensive (high blood pressure) disorder of pregnancy such as eclampsia or HELLP syndrome, their family members, and women who have not had preeclampsia to serve as controls. Information from participants will be used for medical research to try to understand why preeclampsia occurs, how to predict it better, and to develop experimental clinical trials of new treatments. The Registry will consist of a web-based survey and mechanism for collecting and reviewing medical records. This data will be utilized for immediate investigator-driven cross-sectional research projects (after proposal review by the Registry's scientific advisory board and as directed by the PI). Participants may also choose to be contacted regarding possible participation in future studies, about providing a biospecimen, as well as investigator-driven clinical trials. The Registry is anticipated to exist long-term and to serve as a foundation of participants from which to draw for studies of preeclampsia, anticipated to evolve as our scientific understanding of preeclampsia evolves.
A large segment of our patient population is diagnosed with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia. New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend postpartum monitoring of blood pressures via blood pressure checks on day 3 postpartum and between days 7-10 postpartum. Our purpose is to compare the effectiveness of using a Bluetooth-enabled home blood pressure monitoring platform to the standard postpartum office-based blood pressure monitoring in performing the recommended postpartum follow-up for patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
This is a Phase II, single arm, open-label study to determine if treatment with eculizumab prolongs pregnancy compared to historical controls in women with preeclampsia between 23-30 weeks gestation.
The investigators aim to determine if Vitamin D prophylaxis in pregnancy reduces the incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
NSAIDs, specifically cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitors, are known to increase blood pressure over time in non-pregnant adults, but the effect of COX-inhibitors on blood pressure in the setting of preeclampsia have not been well studied. This study aims to assess the effect of avoiding COX-inhibitors on postpartum blood pressure control among women diagnosed with preeclampsia with severe features. Eligible women will be randomized to receive either acetaminophen or ibuprofen for postpartum pain control. Both agents are first line therapies for pain control although ibuprofen has better pain control than acetaminophen. The primary outcome will be duration of postpartum severe-range hypertension.
Eclampsia is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology is not known but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Doppler data suggest that overperfusion of the cerebral tissues is a major etiologic factor. Hypertensive encephalopathy from overperfusion, and vascular damage from excessive arterial pressure (cerebral barotrauma) are believed to lead to vasogenic and cytotoxic cerebral edema, with resultant neuronal anomalies, seizure activity and cerebral bleeding if left unchecked. Doppler data have shown that cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) is abnormally increased in severe preeclampsia and that autoregulation of the middle cerebral artery is affected by this condition leading to increased CPP. Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is the most widely accepted eclampsia treatment and prophylactic agent, and it has been used in the USA since the 1950's. Despite widespread use, its mechanism of action is unknown. MgSO4 is given intravenously or intramuscularly and requires specialized nursing training and monitoring to minimize toxicity from respiratory and cardiac depression. Labetalol, a combined alpha and beta blocker, has been used for many years to safely treat hypertension in preeclamptic women, and is now known to reduce CPP in women with preeclampsia. In the United Kingdom labetalol was for many years used as the sole agent in treating preeclampsia, and the rate of seizure was no different to that reported in the USA with MgSO4. Since labetalol can be administered orally, is economical, has low toxicity potential, does not require specialized training to administer or monitor, and decreases CPP, it may be an ideal agent for controlling blood pressure (BP) and decreasing the incidence of eclampsia in women with preeclampsia. The current study is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial to compare the anti-seizure effect of parenteral MgSO4 versus oral labetalol in hypertensive pregnant women who are eligible for MgSO4 therapy. The primary outcome measure is eclampsia, and the secondary outcome measures include blood pressure control, and relevant antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal maternal and fetal/neonatal parameters including adverse effects and complications. Inclusion criteria are deliberately broad in order to make the study clinically relevant. Hypertensive pregnant women, in whom the decision for delivery has been made, will be enrolled after written, informed consent. Patients will be randomized to receive MgSO4 therapy as given in their institution, versus oral labetalol (200mg/q6 hours), from enrollment in the study until 24 hours post delivery. There will be 4000 patients in each arm of the study and analysis will be by intention-to-treat. The study is powered to show both therapeutic superiority as well as clinical equivalence. This study has the potential to change the way preeclampsia is managed, and will represent a major advance in terms of the availability and safety of prophylactic therapy, especially in developing nations where MgSO4 is underutilized due to cost constraints.