DEciphering CIrculating SIgnatures Of Infected Pancreatic Necrosis

NCT06899087 · Status: RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 45

Last updated 2025-07-14

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The purpose of the study is to identify novel blood-based biomarkers for prediction and diagnosis of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in patients with necrotizing pancreatitis (NP).

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the leading cause of gastrointestinal hospital admissions, accounting for over 300,000 emergency department visits annually and imposing a significant socio-economic burden. It is an acute inflammatory condition of the pancreas characterized by damage to the acinar cells, which triggers an inflammatory response and causes widespread systemic damage. In about 20% of cases, the disease progresses to necrotizing pancreatitis (NP), a severe form characterized by tissue necrosis. NP poses serious health risks, especially when the necrotic tissue becomes infected, leading to infected (peri-)pancreatic necrosis (IPN), which is associated with secondary organ failure (OF), sepsis, and mortality rates as high as 40%. While patients with sterile (peri-)pancreatic necrosis (SPN) can often be managed conservatively, those with IPN typically require antibiotics and therapeutic interventions such as endoscopic drainage or surgery.

Timely recognition and treatment of IPN are crucial for improving patient outcomes, yet current diagnostic methods based on clinical symptoms and routine lab markers lack the specificity to reliably distinguish SPN from IPN in the early stages. Furthermore, while multifactorial scoring systems like Ranson, Imrie, and APACHE II predict necrosis and overall severity in AP, they are not accurate for identifying IPN or predicting mortality in NP. The diagnostic gap delays appropriate treatment, allowing the infection to advance and limiting available therapeutic options. The growing incidence and significant impact of AP and NP in the general population underscore the urgent need to better understand IPN pathophysiology and to develop specific diagnostic biomarkers that can improve prognosis, guide therapeutic decisions, and enhance patient outcomes.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

not interventional

This is an observational study

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Guru Trikudanatham, MD · University of Minnesota

  • Petr Vanek, MD, PhD · University of Minnesota

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-07-01
Primary Completion
2026-09-01
Completion
2026-12-01

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

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 NCT06899087 on ClinicalTrials.gov