Peritoneal Vacuum Therapy to Reduce Inflammatory Response From Abdominal Sepsis/Injury

Summary

This pilot study will evaluate the effectiveness in actively removing the peritoneal fluid through the use of a commercial suction device compared to passive drainage of the same peritoneal fluid drained through standard surgical drains under bulb suction only, in critically ill patients who require an "open abdomen". Both techniques being used, the commercial KCI AbThera™ device and home made "Stampede" VAC system, are currently approved for use in Canada and used in our facility.

The use or non-use of the open abdomen and its relationship to intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and the abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), the level of IAH must be treated and if so how should be treated - remain controversial. The ultimate treatment for IAH/ACS is to leave the abdominal fascia open after laparotomy, utilizing some form of temporary abdominal closure (TAC) techniques, resulting in an "open abdomen"(OA). The decision to accept an OA can only be made in the operating room and is typically made quite arbitrarily (there is no current standard or protocol),and the TAC used is based on the surgeon's best judgment. The study intends to randomize patients after it has been decided that a TAC is required, which will be applied in the operating room while the patient is fully anesthetized. The only intervention required is to obtain small aliquots (a teaspoonful-15ml) of blood for the evaluation of inflammatory mediators levels, as well as the same volume of intra-peritoneal fluid-that is typically discarded in patients with OA.

Conditions

• Abdominal Compartment Syndrome
• Intra-abdominal Hypertension

Interventions

DEVICE

KCI AbThera

The time that the dressing will be left in place will be left to the discretion of the attending surgeon, but revised practice guidelines mandate either formal abdominal closure or dressing change at 24-96 hours from placement. Upon the first OA dressing change, the surgeon is free to utilize whatever temporary closure they choose. Just prior to placement of the dressing, 16 ml (1 table spoon) of blood will be drawn from an existing arterial or venous line (this will qualify as Day 1). The same quantity of blood will be drawn on days 2, 3, 7 and 28 (or hospital discharge, whichever comes first). 15ml of peritoneal fluid will also be collected from the abdomen on the same days or until closure of the abdomen and removal of the dressing.

DEVICE

"Stampede" VAC

The time that the dressing will be left in place will be left to the discretion of the attending surgeon, but revised practice guidelines mandate either formal abdominal closure or dressing change at 24-96 hours from placement. Upon the first OA dressing change, the surgeon is free to utilize whatever temporary closure they choose. Just prior to placement of the dressing, 16 ml (1 table spoon) of blood will be drawn from an existing arterial or venous line (this will qualify as Day 1). The same quantity of blood will be drawn on days 2, 3, 7 and 28 (or hospital discharge, whichever comes first). 15ml of peritoneal fluid will also be collected from the abdomen on the same days or until closure of the abdomen and removal of the dressing.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• 3M

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Alberta Health services

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Calgary

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Andrew W Kirkpatrick, MD · Canadian Trauma Trials Collaborative

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2011-06-30

Primary Completion

2022-06-30

Completion

2022-06-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations