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Palliation of Dyspnea in Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

NCT00982891 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE2/PHASE3 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 45

Last updated 2013-01-23

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) affects at least 750,000 Canadians and is currently the 4th leading cause of death in Canada. Almost everyone with COPD suffers from shortness of breath (dyspnea) that worsens over time despite standard treatment (inhalers, exercise programs and oxygen). Patients and families have identified relief from dyspnea as a top priority for improved care. New approaches are needed for treating advanced COPD to lessen the burden that it places on the lives of patients and families alike. Opioid drugs, such as morphine, can help in COPD in many ways, including reducing dyspnea, fear and anxiety. Opioids are used widely in cancer for similar symptoms. However, there are historical biases against their use in advanced COPD (mostly due to fear of side effects when much higher doses than the investigators intend have been used in the past). No studies have assessed the value to patients of using low dose opioids in advanced COPD in addition to conventional treatment. The investigators are planning a study that involves recording interviews with about 30 patients and their partner or key family member before and after starting treatment with low dose morphine, to understand their experiences with using morphine. The investigators will also ask them to complete questionnaires about quality of life, dyspnea, anxiety, depression and fear. Descriptions of experiences of using morphine have the potential to inform patients, families, clinicians and professional societies about the benefits and harms of opioid use for dyspnea in the advanced stages of a common serious lung disease when traditional treatments often fail. The investigators will conduct the study in both urban (Halifax and Saskatoon) and in a rural setting (New Brunswick). The investigators' study of an inexpensive and widely available treatment has the potential to improve care and outcomes in advanced COPD for the many Canadians living and dying with this serious lung disease.

Conditions

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Interventions

DRUG

Opioid (morphine sulphate) in low dose

individualized titration

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation

    collaborator OTHER

  • Nova Scotia Health Authority

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Graeme M Rocker, DM MHSc · Dalhousie University/QE II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2010-03-31
Primary Completion
2012-06-30
Completion
2012-06-30

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00982891 on ClinicalTrials.gov