An interventional study of Ertapenem followed by levofloxacin and metronidazole and Moxifloxacin in Acute Appendicitis, sponsored by Turku University Hospital. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in Finland. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-11-10.
Sponsored by Turku University Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
Appendicectomy has been the treatment of acute appendicitis for over a hundred years. Appendicectomy, however, includes operative and postoperative risks despite being a routine procedure. Several studies have proved promising results of the safety and efficiency of antibiotics in the treatment of acute uncomplicated appendicitis. The previous APPAC study by the investigators, published in 2015 in the Journal of American Medical Association, also proved promising results with 73% of patients with uncomplicated appendicitis treated successfully with antibiotics. None of the patients initially treated with antibiotics that later had appendectomy had major complications. The results of the APPAC trial suggest that CT proven uncomplicated acute appendicitis is not a surgical emergency and antibiotic therapy is a safe first-line treatment option. Reducing unnecessary appendectomies has also been shown to lead to significant economic savings. On the other hand, antibiotic therapies have been shown to have an effect on the normal gut microbiota and are considered an increasing global health threat underlining the importance of evaluating both short- and long-term effects of the antimicrobial treatment in old and new indications.
The aims of this randomized prospective study are:
Appendectomy has been the treatment of acute appendicitis for over a hundred years. Appendicectomy, however, includes operative and postoperative risks despite being a routine procedure. Several studies have proved promising results of the safety and efficiency of antibiotics in the treatment of acute uncomplicated appendicitis. The previous APPAC study by the investigators, published in 2015 in the Journal of American Medical Association, also proved promising results with 73% of patients with uncomplicated appendicitis treated successfully with antibiotics. None of the patients initially treated with antibiotics that later had appendectomy had major complications. The results of the APPAC trial suggest that CT proven uncomplicated acute appendicitis is not a surgical emergency and antibiotic therapy is a safe first-line treatment option. Reducing unnecessary appendectomies has also been shown to lead to significant economic savings. On the other hand, antibiotic therapies have been shown to have an effect on the normal gut microbiota.
Gut microbiota is an extremely complex ecosystem with both high bacterial density and diversity. Recent scientific evidence emphasizes that the symbiosis between the host and the balanced gut microbiota supports good health, and contributes to various biochemical and metabolic functions occurring in host's body. The possible role of the somehow distorted gut microbiota composition in addition to its metabolites in the etiopathogenesis of many diseases such as allergy, inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes and obesity related disorders, has been recently proposed. Further, detected alterations and perturbations both in the gut microbiota composition and functionality have been linked to the development of various malignancies such as colorectal cancer, gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. To date, the role of the microbes and especially the members of the commensal microbiota with their structural compartments and metabolites in the pathogenesis and etiology of appendicitis have not been clarified in detail, despite the recent knowledge that uncomplicated acute appendicitis could be treated by antibiotic treatments alone. Further, there is only limited amount of evidence on the appendix microbial composition in humans.
Microbial overgrowth has been speculated to serve as a secondary consequence in appendicitis. However, recent accumulating evidence suggests that primary bacterial infection may actually be an initiating event in the pathogenesis of the disease. Interestingly, it has been postulated that the appendix could serve as a microbial reservoir for repopulating the gastrointestinal tract in times of necessity thus gut microbiota may act as a source for these pathogenic intruders. Further it has been reported that certain members of the gram negative Fusobacteria especially F. nucleatum and necrophorum are present in most appendicitis samples.
Additionally, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered an increasing global threat. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), in 2050s more people will be killed by AMR bacteria than by all cancers.The use of antimicrobials in humans and especially in animal health care and production industry are the major causes of increasing AMR worldwide; the prudent use of antimicrobials is essential to prevent increasing AMR. Antimicrobials are known to decrease the gut microbiota diversity, richness and species variation and cause the perturbation of its overall balance and even a short-term antimicrobial treatment has a long-term impact on its composition underlining the importance of evaluating both short- and long-term effects of the antimicrobial treatment in old and new indications.
The aims of this randomized prospective study are:
419 studies on the registry are indexed under Appendicitis; 67 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 200 is above the median of 111 across 252 interventional studies indexed under Appendicitis.
Browse Appendicitis studies →Turku University Hospital is the lead sponsor of 287 studies on the registry; 67 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
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Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients in this group recruited also in APPAC II trial will receive i.v. antibiotics (ertapenem 1 g twice per day) for 2 days followed by p.o. antibiotics (levofloxacin 500 mg x 1 and metronidazole 500 mg x 3) for 5 days, for a total treatment duration of 7 days. From these patients, rectal swab samples will be collected at day 0 (before treatment) and day 1 (after beginning of treatment), serum sample before treatment initiation.
Drug: Ertapenem followed by levofloxacin and metronidazole
Patients in this group recruited also in APPAC II trial will receive p.o. antibiotics for a total of 7 days, moxifloxacin 400 mg once per day. From these patients, rectal swab samples of faces will be collected at two time points, day 0 (before treatment) and day 1 (after beginning of treatment), serum sample before treatment initiation.
Drug: Moxifloxacin
Patients in this group recruited also in APPAC III trial will receive i.v. placebo 3 times per day for 3 days followed by p.o. placebo 3 times per day for 4 additional days. From these patients rectal swab samples will be collected twice during the stay at the research hospital (time points 0 and 1 or 3 d) and three times at home (follow-up at one week, six months and one year). Serum samples are taken prior to treatment initiation and at 10 days after the treatment initiation.
Other: Placebo
Patients in this group will undergo appendectomy and are recruited only in the MAPPAC trial. Rectal swab samples and biopsies from the removed appendix will be collected from these patients.
Procedure: Appendectomy
Patients in this group will undergo appendectomy either after refusing to participate in the APPAC II or APPAC III trials or after presenting with recurrent appendicitis after antibiotic or placebo therapy. Rectal swab samples of faces and biopsies from the removed appendix will be collected from these patients.
Procedure: Appendectomy
Patients in this group recruited also in APPAC III trial will receive i.v. antibiotics (ertapenem 1 g twice per day) for 3 days followed by p.o. antibiotics (levofloxacin 500 mg x 1 and metronidazole 500 mg x 3) for 4 days, for a total treatment duration of 7 days. From these patients rectal swab samples will be collected twice during the stay at the research hospital (time points 0 and 1 or 3 d) and three times at home (follow-up at one week, six months and one year). Serum samples are taken prior to treatment initiation and at 10 days after the treatment initiation.
Drug: Ertapenem followed by levofloxacin and metronidazole
Drug pages: Ertapenem · Levofloxacin · Metronidazole
Ertapenem 1 g i.v. daily for either 2 days (MAPPAC + APPAC II patients) or 3 days (MAPPAC + APPAC III) followed by p.o. levofloxacin 500 mg x 1 + metronidazole 500 mg x 3 for either 5 days (APPAC II + MAPPAC) or 4 days (APPAC III + MAPPAC)
Moxifloxacin 400 mg once a day for seven days (APPAC II + MAPPAC)
Primarily laparoscopic appendectomy for either complicated acute appendicitis or uncomplicated acute appendicitis (refusing to participate in APPAC II or III trials or recurrent acute appendicitis).
Placebo i.v. once a day for three days (APPAC III + MAPPAC) followed by placebo capsules three times a day for four days.
Microbiology in the etiology of acute appendicitis
Differences in the microbiological etiology of complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis
Time frame: 1 day
Effects of antimicrobial treatment on gut microbiota
Determining the effects of both antibiotic and placebo treatment on the composition of gut microbiota, and to evaluate how it recovers after the appendicitis-related antimicrobial treatment evaluated by rectal swabs pre- and post treatment
Time frame: 1 year
Effects of hospital stay duration on the AMR reservoir of the gut microbiota
The effect of length of hospital stay (days) on the AMR reservoir of gut microbiota and colonization occurrence evaluated by analysing rectal swabs microbiota pre- and post-treatment at 0, 1 and 3 days.
Time frame: 3 days
Plan to share: No
Started Apr 2017 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2022, 68 months after the start.
Of 89 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Appendicitis, half reached primary completion within 18 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 36. This study's planned 68 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 91 studies reached it within 18 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 36.
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Studies of the drugs tested here: Ertapenem · Levofloxacin · Metronidazole · Moxifloxacin