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Heart FailurePhase 4NCT00858845

Using Clonidine to Improve Leg Weakness in People With Heart Failure

A Phase 4 study testing Clonidine Patch in people with Heart Failure, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

People with heart failure often have weakness in their leg muscles. This study will determine whether the leg weakness is due to very high adrenaline levels and whether the medication clonidine can improve leg weakness. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Heart Failure
What is being tested?
Clonidine Patch
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
11 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
May 2008to Dec 2012
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 21 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Heart failure

Who cannot join

  • Currently on Coumadin therapy
  • Experienced a heart attack in the 3 months before study entry
  • Medically unable to receive clonidine
  • Advanced kidney or liver disease

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center

    Los Angeles, California, 90095

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Clonidine and the Skeletal Myopathy of Heart Failure

People with heart failure often have weakness in their leg muscles. This study will determine whether the leg weakness is due to very high adrenaline levels and whether the medication clonidine can improve leg weakness.

Read the detailed description

Heart failure is a common condition, affecting approximately 5 million people in the United States. People with heart failure are encouraged to exercise and lose weight. However, many people with heart failure develop weakness in their leg muscles, which can make exercise difficult. Increased sympathetic nerve activity, which involves the nerves that carry adrenaline, also occurs in people with heart failure. It is possible that the increased sympathetic nerve activity may actually cause the leg muscle weakness. Clonidine, a medication used to treat high blood pressure, has been found to decrease sympathetic nerve activity. This study will further examine the connection between leg weakness and sympathetic nerve activity. It will also evaluate the effectiveness of clonidine at decreasing leg weakness in people with heart failure. Results from this study may explain why some people with heart failure are unable to exercise and may help to identify ways in which leg strength can be increased.

This study will enroll people with heart failure. Participants will be randomly assigned to wear either a clonidine patch or a placebo patch for 3 months. Participants will wear the patch on their upper arm, and they will replace the patch each week. At study visits at baseline and Month 3, participants will undergo the following procedures:

  • Sympathetic nerve activity recording, which will record nerve activity in the lower leg, using small electrodes inserted through the skin
  • Muscle biopsy, in which a small piece of muscle tissue will be obtained from participants' legs
  • Heart rate and blood pressure measurements
  • Arterial baroreceptor measurements, in which the nerves in the body that respond to changes in blood pressure will be examined while participants receive different medications to increase and decrease their blood pressure
  • Echocardiography to obtain images of the heart
  • Magnetic resonance scan of the leg
  • Passive exercise procedure, in which study researchers will conduct an arm exercise with participants

There will be no follow-up visits.

Conditions
Heart Failure
Being tested
Clonidine Patch, Matching Placebo Patch
Keywords
Leg Weakness, Skeletal Myopathy, Sympathetic Nerve Activity
Medical subject headings
Heart Failure

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Clonidine PatchDrug

    Also called Catapres-TTS

    A clonidine patch (0.1 mg/week) to be worn for a period of 3 months.

  • Matching Placebo PatchOther

    A matching placebo patch to be worn for a period of 3 months.

Study groups in NCT00858845
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Clonidine patchExperimentalParticipants assigned to wear a clonidine patch.
Receives: Drug: Clonidine Patch
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorParticipants assigned to wear a matching placebo patch.
Receives: Other: Matching Placebo Patch

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Citrate Synthase Activity as an Estimate of Mitochondrial Activity

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Change in Proportion of Type 1 Fibers

    Fibers were typed as I or II according to presence of myosin heavy chain.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Mar 2009 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2008
  3. Primary completionMar 2011
  4. Study completionDec 2012

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
11 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00858845
Sponsor's protocol ID
641
Other IDs
R01HL084525
Status last verified
Apr 2018
First submitted
6 Mar 2009
Last updated
24 May 2018
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Middlekauff HR, Verity MA, Horwich TB, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA, Shieh P. Intact skeletal muscle mitochondrial enzyme activity but diminished exercise capacity in advanced heart failure patients on optimal medical and device therapy. Clin Res Cardiol. 2013 Aug;102(8):547-54. doi: 10.1007/s00392-013-0564-3. Epub 2013 Apr 11.

    PubMed 23575739

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Clonidine Patch in people with Heart Failure, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 May 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 9 Sep 2013). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Citrate Synthase Activity as an Estimate of Mitochondrial Activity (time frame: Baseline, 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00858845, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 May 2018.

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