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The Plasma Large-Volume Exchange RCT

NCT01433003 · Status: WITHDRAWN · Phase: PHASE3 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Last updated 2013-04-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura / hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP/HUS) is a rare, life-threatening disorder. TTP/HUS causes multiple blood clots to form, which prevents blood from reaching the brain and kidneys. TTP/HUS affects 3-5 people per million per year. Anyone can develop TTP/HUS, but it is most common among 30-40 year olds, and women are twice as likely as men to acquire the condition. TTP/HUS sometimes develops as a result of medication use, pregnancy or cancer; however, for the majority of patients (80%) the cause of TTP/HUS is unknown. In 1991, researchers discovered that plasma exchange was superior to plasma infusion in treating idiopathic TTP/HUS. During plasma exchange the patient's blood plasma is removed and replaced with healthy blood plasma. Without plasma exchange, the survival rate for TTP/HUS is extremely low, with fewer than 5% of patients surviving. Treating TTP/HUS with plasma exchange improved the survival rate to 80%. Although this represents a dramatic improvement, researchers are still searching for methods to improve survival. No major advances in treating TTP/HUS have occurred in the past 20 years. Recent research suggests that high-dose plasma exchange may improve the survival of TTP/HUS patients. The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to test whether treating TTP/HUS patients with high-dose versus standard-dose plasma exchange improves the treatment response. The investigators will recruit 150 patients with TTP/HUS from 9 centres across Canada over three years. The investigators will evaluate whether high-dose plasma exchange improves the treatment response, survival, and whether it reduces the number and volume of plasma exchange procedures and duration of hospital stay.

Conditions

  • Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic
  • Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Plasma Exchange

Plasma exchange is a blood purification technique that removes plasma from the blood and replaces it with donor plasma.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • London Health Sciences Centre

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2012-04-30
Primary Completion
2014-12-31
Completion
2015-03-31

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 NCT01433003 on ClinicalTrials.gov