Serial Endoscopic Surveillance & Direct Topical Antibiotics to Define the Role of Microbes in Anastomotic Healing

Summary

Rationale: The surgical complication of intestinal anastomotic leak remains a clear and present danger to patients despite advances in surgical technique and ever more powerful antibiotics. No surgeon is immune from this complication and leak rates have not changed in decades. The consequences of a leak (peritonitis, sepsis, death) can be so severe that in the case of rectal cancer, diverting ileostomies are routinely performed to divert the fecal stream away from the healing anastomosis. We have recently discovered that certain intestinal bacteria, with the capacity to express collagenase and cleave MMP9 (Matrix metallopeptidase 9) to its active collagen degrading form, play a key and causative role in anastomotic leak. These bacteria often escape elimination due to the failure of current antibiotic regimens and their delivery methods to remain functionally durable at anastomotic tissue sites.

Purpose: This phase II clinical trial will track, in real time, the process of anastomotic healing and its associated microbiome by performing serial endoscopic surveillance (SES) following rectal cancer resection. By capturing anastomotic images and the associated microbial and inflammatory mediators from anastomotic fluids via SES performed at three time points following rectal cancer resection, we will correlate healing to microbial composition and inflammatory mediator status. Patients will be randomized and, at each time point, will receive lavage of their anastomosis with either saline or a triple antibiotic solution (ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, neomycin). An anastomotic healing score captured during SES will be compared between the two treatment arms and correlated to microbial and inflammatory mediator analyses of fluid samples to determine how intestinal microbes influence the process of anastomotic healing.

Conditions

• Anastomotic Leak
• Rectal Cancer

Interventions

DRUG

Cipro, metronidazole, neomycin combo

During endoscopies after imaging, the anastomosis will be lavaged with an antibiotic solution composed of metronidazole, ciprofloxacin and neomycin

PROCEDURE

Serial Endoscopic Surveillance

Patients will undergo serial endoscopic surveillance consisting of three endoscopies: one intra-operative endoscopy (POD0) and two post-operative endoscopies (POD3-7, POD12-28). During endoscopies, the anastomosis will be lavaged with saline, the fluid will be collected by suction and images will be taken.

DRUG

Saline

During endoscopies after imaging, the anastomosis will be lavaged with a placebo direct topical saline solution

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Chicago

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• John C Alverdy, MD · University of Chicago

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-03-03

Primary Completion

2017-03-03

Completion

2017-03-03

FDA Drug

Yes