19 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Dense array EEG and EIT (electrical impedence tomography) are new technologies that can add to information needed to diagnose neurological problems in infants - both preterm and term. The investigators propose a method to test these technologies in the preterm population to determine its safety and ease of use. The investigators will test on preterm infants of 30-34 weeks gestation, starting first with the older infants (32-34 weeks) then moving down to the smaller population (30-32 weeks). In both groups the investigators will start with a short time period and gradually extend the time as safety is established. All studies will be conducted at Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida.
Background: While the intensive care of patients with life-threatening brain illnesses has advanced tremendously, a large number of therapies are still without proper scientific support. This can be partly explained by the fact that mechanisms of initial brain injury are still not well understood. Why additional neurological injury occurs during a patient's stay in the NeuroCritical Care Unit (NCCU) despite current best, evidence-based clinical practices, is also not well understood. However, over the past decade, better tools have become available to measure and monitor the impact of our clinical care on the rapidly changing physiology and chemistry of the injured brain. Some of these tools are CT, MRI, ultrasound, and catheter-based technology measuring blood flow and metabolism. These tools have enabled earlier detection of injury and complications and newer therapeutic strategies. Purpose: Examine disease pathways common to all brain injuries seen in the University of Maryland's 22-bed NCCU. Life-threatening neurological illnesses cared for in the NCCU include massive stroke, bleeding in and around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage), brain tumors, difficult to control seizures, neurologic infections, nerve and muscle diseases (such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barre Syndrome), and spinal cord disorders among others. Many NCCU patients are comatose or paralyzed and may suffer injuries in other parts of the body as well. This effort will require the creation of a robust clinical database for the capture of data including patient characteristics (age, sex), clinical characteristics, medical treatments, surgical interventions, physiological data (such as vital signs, cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, cerebral oximetry, etc), laboratory data, and standard-of-care diagnostic studies such as electroencephalography (EEG), ultrasound, CT, MRI, and angiograms. Similar databases exist at other major centers for neurocritical care and have been instrumental to the identification of characteristics both predictive of and associated with outcomes of patients long after their stay in the NCCU. In addition, the samples collected will be included in the University of Maryland Medicine (UMM) Biorepository which is a shared resource to enable biomedical research by University of Maryland faculty.
The purpose of this prospective, single center, single arm registry is to assess technical feasibility, peri-procedural complications, post-procedure imaging outcomes, and 30-day safety outcomes in subjects with intraventricular hemorrhages utilizing the Artemis Neuro Evacuation Device in the hyper-acute phase.
This is a study to evaluate how recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is utilized in patients with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). rt-PA is a drug that has been shown to dissolve blood, and may allow intraventricular catheters to be more effective for a longer period of time.
Advances in newborn intensive care have lead to dramatic improvements in survival for the most premature infants-often weighing 1 pound at birth. Unfortunately, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and developmental delay affect more than 10,000 of these premature infants in the U.S. annually. In his studies, Dr. Jeffrey R. Kaiser is trying to understand why these premature infants are at such high risk of brain injury, and to learn ways to prevent injury. Experts believe that disturbances of brain blood flow regulation are important in causing these injuries. Using a novel continuous monitoring system, Dr. Kaiser is able to determine an infant's capacity for normal brain blood flow regulation. Contrary to previous thinking, he has shown that many of these babies in fact due have normal regulation of their brain blood flow. He has observed that brain blood flow may be disturbed during suctioning of the breathing tube. Further, he has also shown that infants with high carbon dioxide, those not breathing well, have impaired regulation of their brain blood flow. Thus, even stable infants are prone to disturbed brain regulation during routine intensive care, which may lead to bleeding in the brain and long-term neurologic problems. Dr. Kaiser will study up to 200 infants to determine 1) the developmental pattern of normal regulation of cerebral blood flow; 2) in those with impaired regulation, determine when it develops during the first week of life; and 3) determine the relationship between impaired brain blood flow regulation and brain injury. Results from this study will help us recognize when premature infants are most vulnerable to developing brain injury, allowing prevention and intervention strategies to be initiated in a timely fashion.
This large randomized trial tested whether phenobarbital given to a pregnant woman about to deliver a premature infant would prevent brain injuries in their newborns. Women with 24 to 32 week fetuses who were in preterm labor and were expected to deliver within 24 hrs were randomized to phenobarbital or usual care. They were treated until they deliver or the fetus reaches 33 wks gestation. Babies were followed until discharge and evaluated at 18-22 mos corrected age for neurodevelopmental outcome.
The purpose of this multicenter trial is to determine if indomethacin prevents bleeding in the brain of very low birth weight preterm infants.
The study seeks to determine the efficacy of non-nutritive suck (NNS) training using a pacifier-activated device (PAM) with mothers' voice to condition suck-strength and rhythmicity, in improving the feeding and developmental outcomes of infants at high-risk for CP.
Extremely low birth weight (ELBW), birth weight less than or equal to 1000 g, infants are at high risk for developing brain injury in the first week of life. Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) are the most common injuries in this group of infants. Their incidence is inversely proportional to gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW). These lesions are associated with neurodevelopmental delay, poor cognitive performance, visual and hearing impairment, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy; and instability of systemic hemodynamics during transition from intra- to extra-uterine life and during the early neonatal period is believed to be at their genesis. While the incidence of ultrasound- diagnosed cystic PVL has decreased dramatically over the last 2 decades, diffuse PVL detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is still prevalent in survivors of neonatal intensive care. Moreover, PVL, even when non-cystic, is associated with decreased cortical complexity and brain volume and eventual neurocognitive impairment. Currently, clinicians lack the tools to detect changes in cerebral perfusion prior to irreversible injury. Unfortunately, the incidence of brain injury in ELBW infants has remained relatively stable. Once translated to the bedside, the goal of this research is to develop a monitoring system that will allow researchers to identify infants most at risk for IVH and PVL and in the future, intervention studies will be initiated to use the changes in cerebral perfusion to direct hemodynamic management. The purpose of this study is to first understand the physiology of brain injury and then to eventually impact the outcomes in this high-risk group of infants by assessing the ability of the diastolic closing margin (DCM), a non-invasive estimate of brain perfusion pressure, to predict hemorrhagic and ischemic brain injury in ELBW infants. The information collected for this study will help develop algorithms or monitoring plans that will maintain the appropriate brain perfusion pressure and thereby, prevent severe brain injury.
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) are brain lesions that commonly occur in preterm infants and are well-recognized major contributors to long-term brain injury and related disabilities later in life. Despite its prevalence, long term consequences, and enormous medical and social costs, mechanisms of IVH and optimal strategies to prevent or treat its occurrence are poorly defined, especially for extremely premature infants. Only one medical therapy, prophylactic indomethacin during the first 3 days of life, has been shown to prevent or decrease the severity of IVH in preterm infants, but its use is limited by toxic side effects and debatable effects on long-term outcomes. Several small studies and case reports suggest that delayed umbilical cord-clamping (DCC) may also decrease the incidence of IVH in premature infants, but thus far these trials have indomethacin treatment mixed within their cord clamping protocols. The investigators are conducting a randomized, blinded investigation of 4 treatment groups: 1) Control (no intervention); 2) DCC alone; 3) Prophylactic indomethacin alone; 4) Combination of DCC/indomethacin, with respect to survival, IVH or PVL incidence and severity, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and relevant mechanistic effects. With the steady rise in extreme prematurity births and clear links of IVH to long-term disabilities there is a need to improve care for these patients. This multi- disciplinary project addresses an important medical problem for an understudied patient population, where the current practice has clear limitations.
Premature infants are at high risk for variations in blood pressure and oxygenation during the first few days of life. The immaturity of the premature brain may further predispose these infants to death or the development of neurologic problems. The relationship between unstable blood pressure and oxygen levels and brain injury has not been well elucidated. This study investigates the utility of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a non-invasive oxygen-measuring device, to identify preterm infants at highest risk for brain injury or death.
This study will evaluate the hypothesis that the administration of intraventricular tPA reduces the rates of cerebral vasospasm and ventriculoperitoneal shunt-dependent hydrocephalus in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Intracranial Hemorrhage (ICH) is an important morbidity affecting premature infants and can have considerable effects on neurodevelopmental outcome. The investigators showed that preterm infants with severe ICH have decreased cerebral oxygenation several weeks after the hemorrhage. The mechanisms involved in this state of decreased cerebral oxygenation in preterm infants and the effects on cerebral function are unknown. This longitudinal observation study will evaluate physiologic parameters to determine trends in cerebral oxygenation and function in preterm infants with ICH in comparison to infants without ICH.
Intraventricular hemorrhage and its resultant post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus are significant risk factors for the development of neurodevelopmental delays in preterm infants. The purpose of this study is to determine 1) the incidence of progressive post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation (PHVD) in infants with severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), 2) the effect of ventricular dilatation on brain status (cerebral oxygenation, electrical activity, and biomarkers of cerebral damage and repair), and 3) if using ventricular measurements, derived from cranial ultrasound to guide removal of cerebral-spinal fluid through an Omaya reservoir, will help resolve ventricular dilatation and decrease the need for ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt insertion. The hypothesis of this research project is that, by using ventricular measurements to guide the frequency of CSF removal, the rate of VP shunt insertion will be decreased in preterm infants with severe IVH and PHVD. The investigators further hypothesize that cerebral injury, as measured by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentration of biomarkers of neuronal and glial damage and inflammation, will decrease over time with resolution of PHVD.
Annually, almost 5,000 extremely low birth weight (9 ounces to about 2 lbs) infants born in the US survive with severe bleeding in the brain (intraventricular hemorrhage); this devastating complication of prematurity is associated with many problems, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and learning disabilities, that result in profound individual and familial consequences. In addition, lifetime care costs for these severely affected infants born in a single year exceed $3 billion. The huge individual and societal costs underscore the need for developing care strategies that may limit severe bleeding in the brain of these tiny infants. The overall goal of our research is to evaluate disturbances of brain blood flow in these tiny infants in order to predict which of them are at highest risk and to develop better intensive care techniques that will limit severe brain injury. 1. Since most of these infants require ventilators (respirators) to survive, we will investigate how 2 different methods of ventilation affect brain injury. We believe that a new method of ventilation, allowing normal carbon dioxide levels, will normalize brain blood flow and lead to less bleeding in the brain. 2. We will also examine how treatment for low blood pressure in these infants may be associated with brain injury. We believe that most very premature infants with low blood pressure actually do worse if they are treated. We think that by allowing the infants to normalize blood pressure on their own will allow them to stabilize blood flow to the brain leading to less intraventricular hemorrhage. 3. In 10 premature infants with severe brain bleeding, we have developed a simple technique to identify intraventricular hemorrhage before it happens. Apparently, the heart rate of infants who eventually develop severe intraventricular hemorrhage is less variable than infants who do not develop this. We plan to test this method in a large group of infants, to be able to predict which infants are at highest risk of developing intraventricular hemorrhage and who could most benefit from interventions that would reduce disturbances of brain blood flow.
The highest risk for perinatal brain injury occurs among extremely premature infants who weigh less than 1250 grams at birth. Such perinatal brain injury is currently irreversible, associated with neurodevelopmental disability, and without adequate treatment modalities. Research in recent years suggest in both animal and human studies that erythropoietin (Epo) may have significant neuroprotective effects. Given the historical safe medical profile of Epo when used for anemia of prematurity but the likely need for a greater dosage regimen for activation of neuroprotective pathways against neonatal brain injury, we therefore propose this phase II study of high-dose Epo in very low birth weight infants for the prevention and/or attenuation of prematurity-related cerebral hemorrhagic-ischemic injury.
Approximately 12% of strokes in the United States are hemorrhagic.1 Hemorrhagic stroke can lead to multiple complications including fever that is not infectious. Identifying the cause of fever can help physicians choose the best care for the patient to try and prevent further damage to the already injured brain. Bacterial infection is one possible cause of fever in the stroke patient; however an incorrect diagnosis of infection can lead to unnecessary antibiotic use. Better screening tools for infection are being developed to help fight the problem of antibiotic resistance and unnecessary antibiotic use. Unnecessary use of antibiotics in patients increases the risk of adverse events and overall healthcare costs. Procalcitonin (PCT) is one such screening tool which has been used previously to help tell apart bacterial and nonbacterial causes of infection in other disease states; however, PCT has not been studied in hemorrhagic stroke patients. The purpose of this study is to understand the progress of PCT in hemorrhagic stroke patients in order to see whether PCT can be a useful marker for infection in these patients.
As many more premature infants survive, the numbers of these infants with health problems increases. The rate of cerebral palsy (CP) in extremely premature infants is approximately 20%. Magnesium sulfate, the most commonly used drug in the US to stop premature labor, may prevent CP. This trial tests whether magnesium sulfate given to a woman in labor with a premature fetus (24 to 31 weeks out of 40) will reduce the rate of death or moderate to severe CP in the children at 2 years. The children receive ultrasounds of their brains as infants and attend three follow-up visits over two years to assess their health and development.
Over the last 30 years the survival rates for babies born prematurely have improved greatly with research. As these babies grow up, we have found that many of the premature babies have learning and movement problems. The purpose of this research is to learn why premature infants are at risk for learning disabilities and movement problems later in childhood and whether this is changed by caffeine therapy. Caffeine is often used in premature babies to help them to breathe on their own. Nearly all babies born before 30 weeks gestation receive caffeine while they are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Scientists have shown that caffeine therapy given to premature babies reduces their disabilities. We will use brain monitoring, including electro-encephalogram (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to understand how the brain of a premature baby develops and whether caffeine in high doses enhances protection of the developing brain. Just as we monitor the heart and lungs to improve our care of premature babies, we wish to monitor the brain so that we can understand how to improve our care for the brain.