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Out of Hospital Cardiac ArrestNCT01528475

Initiation of Cooling by EMS to Promote Adoption of In-hospital Hypothermia in Cardiac Arrest Survivors

A study testing Pre-hospital cooling in people with Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest, run by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at 3 sites in Canada.

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

This is a large pragmatic, randomized controlled trial comparing pre-hospital initiation of therapeutic hypothermia by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers to conventional post-resuscitation care. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest
What is being tested?
Pre-hospital cooling
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
585 participants
Where
3 sitesCanada
Study dates
Jul 2012to Jun 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Pulseless OHCA in the study communities (any rhythm, initial rhythm will be recorded)
  • Age equal to or greater than 18 years
  • Defibrillation and/or chest compressions by EMS providers (including fire fighters)
  • Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) sustained for greater than or equal to 5 minutes
  • Patient is unresponsive to verbal stimulus using AVPU (Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive) scale
  • Patient is endotracheally intubated
  • SBP equal to or greater than 100 mm Hg (even if needing dopamine)

Who cannot join

  • Trauma (including burns) associated with cardiac arrest
  • Sepsis or serious infection suspected as cause of cardiac arrest
  • Clinical evidence of active severe bleeding
  • Suspected hypothermic cardiac arrest
  • Known coagulopathy (medical history or medications; ASA and clopidogrel are permitted)
  • Any verbal or written do-not-resuscitate (DNR)
  • Obviously pregnant
  • Known Prisoner

Trial locations and contacts

3 sites in 1 country.

Canada3 sites
  • Peel Emergency Medical Services

    Mississauga, Ontario

  • Halton Emergency Medical Services

    Oakville, Ontario

  • Toronto Emergency Medical Services

    Toronto, Ontario

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Initiation of Cooling by Emergency Medical Services to Promote the Adoption of In-hospital Therapeutic Hypothermia in Cardiac Arrest Survivors: the ICE-PACS Trial

This is a large pragmatic, randomized controlled trial comparing pre-hospital initiation of therapeutic hypothermia by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers to conventional post-resuscitation care. The goal of this trial is to increase the proportion of cardiac arrest patients that are appropriately treated in-hospital with therapeutic hypothermia to reach the target body temperature within 6 hours of hospital arrival. The investigators believe that EMS-initiation of cooling will be a powerful reminder to in-hospital clinicians to continue therapeutic hypothermia, and will lead to care improvements across a health system.

Read the detailed description

This is a large pragmatic, randomized controlled trial comparing pre-hospital initiation of therapeutic hypothermia by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers to conventional post-resuscitation care. The goal of this trial is to increase the proportion of cardiac arrest patients that are appropriately treated in-hospital with therapeutic hypothermia to reach the target body temperature within 6 hours of hospital arrival. The investigators believe that EMS-initiation of cooling will be a powerful reminder to in-hospital clinicians to continue therapeutic hypothermia, and will lead to care improvements across a health system. This study builds on our previous work using large hospital networks hospitals to improve the delivery of evidence-based practice.

The primary research question is as follows: Does pre-hospital initiation of therapeutic hypothermia by EMS providers increase the proportion of comatose out of hospital cardiac arrest patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) that are successfully cooled to a target temperature of 32 to 34 degrees Celsius within 6 hours of emergency department arrival, compared to usual post-resuscitation care provided in the field? The primary outcome is the proportion of included patients that are successfully cooled to reach target temperature of 32 to 34 degrees Celsius within 6 hours of emergency department arrival.

Being tested
Pre-hospital cooling
Keywords
Therapeutic Hypothermia, Cardiac arrest
Medical subject headings
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest, Heart Arrest

What participants receive

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

  • Pre-hospital coolingBehavioural

    Patients in this arm will receive pre-hospital cooling by paramedics. This treatment includes placement of surface ice-pacs on the neck, groin, and axillae; midazolam to prevent shivering; initiation of an intravenous infusion of cold saline; and wrist and ankle bands with text to remind in-hospital clinicians to continue therapeutic hypothermia.

Study groups in NCT01528475
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Pre-hospital coolingActive comparatorPatients in this arm will receive pre-hospital cooling by paramedics. This treatment includes placement of surface ice-pacs, initiation of an intravenous infusion of cold saline, and wrist and ankle bands with text to remind in-hospital clinicians to continue therapeutic hypothermia.
Receives: Behavioral: Pre-hospital cooling
Usual pre-hospital careNo interventionPatients in this arm will receive usual post-resuscitation care by paramedics. Usual post-resuscitation care does not include initiation of cooling in the pre-hospital setting.

What is being measured

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

  1. Success of in-hospital cooling

    The primary outcome is the proportion of included patients that are successfully cooled to reach target temperature of 32 to 34 degrees Celsius within 6 hours of emergency department arrival.

    Measured: within 6 hours of emergency department arrival

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Mortality at hospital discharge

    Proportion of deaths at hospital discharge

    Measured: Hospital discharge

  2. Mortality during transport

    Proportion of patients that die after randomization and during transport to hospital.

    Measured: During transport to hospital

  3. Mortality during 6 hours

    Proportion of patients that die within 6 hours of emergency department arrival

    Measured: Within 6 hours of emergency department arrival

  4. Cooling ever in hospital

    Proportion of patients for whom in-hospital therapeutic hypothermia is initiated or continued within 24 hours of emergency department arrival

    Measured: within 24 hours of emergency department arrival

  5. Median Modified Rankin score at hospital discharge

    The median modified Rankin score at hospital discharge

    Measured: hospital discharge

  6. Good neurological outcome

    The proportion of patients with Modified Rankin Scale = 0, 1, or 2 at hospital discharge.

    Measured: hospital discharge

  7. Time of transport to hospital

    Mean time (minutes) from arrival of paramedics on the scene to arrival and transport of patient to emergency department.

    Measured: During transport to hospital

Timeline

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

  1. First posted8 Feb 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2012
  3. Primary completionJun 2016
  4. Study completionJun 2016

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
585 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01528475
Sponsor's protocol ID
ICE PACS
Status last verified
Dec 2016
First submitted
31 Oct 2011
Last updated
19 Dec 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Pre-hospital cooling in people with Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest, run by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at 3 sites in Canada.

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 7 inclusion and 8 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 19 Dec 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 3 sites in Canada. 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. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Success of in-hospital cooling (time frame: within 6 hours of emergency department arrival). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 19 Dec 2016.

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