ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03283800CIVILUpdated Sep 15, 2017

Copper Impact on Venous Insufficiency and Lipodermatosclerosis

An interventional study of Copper impregnated compression stocking and Normal compression stocking in Lipodermatosclerosis, Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Venous Insufficiency, sponsored by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. Completed. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-09-15.

Sponsored by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 1 year 11 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Sep 2015, registered Sep 2017).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
16
Allocation
Randomized
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Venous disease has an adverse impact on the quality of life of patients and the NHS spends considerable resources on this chronic condition. Copper has been shown to promote new blood vessel formation and therefore improve blood supply to the affected area and possibly skin conditions. Copper has also been shown to have strong antimicrobial properties. We plan to perform a study whereby patients who would normally be given leg stockings will be asked to wear similar stockings except that one of the stockings will contain copper fibers. Neither the patient nor the clinician will know which is which. Photographs of the leg conditions will be taken at baseline, 2, 4 and 8 weeks to evaluate healing. Benefit will be evaluated by a symptom questionnaire, severity scoring tools and healing scores taken from the serial photographs.

Read the detailed description

This is a randomised controlled pilot study to assess the feasibility of copper impregnated stockings. All patients with CEAP classification 4 in both legs and venous disease identified by venous duplex will be recruited from the vascular clinics within Croydon Health Services over a period of three months. All patients will be given a patient information sheet describing the study prior to consent. Patients will be giving adequate time to read the information. Informed consent and the agreement for photography of their legs will be obtained. Patients will be assessed at baseline and at 2, 4 and 8 weeks follow-up.

Copper impregnated stockings:

All patients will be asked to wear compression stockings (14-18mmHg). These closed-toe and below-the-knee stockings are made of 88% nylon, 5% elastin, and 7% spandex and come in various sizes. One of the pair will have copper oxide ions permanently attached to the nylon fibres and these stockings will contain 2-3% copper ions. The patients will wear a copper stocking on one leg (study leg) and a non-copper stocking on the other (control leg). Both the patients and the clinicians will be blinded to the copper impregnated stocking.

Randomisation:

All stockings are marked with an 'L' for the left or 'R' for the right foot. The manufacturer has randomly marked the copper stockings with an 'L' or 'R' and paired these with a non-copper stocking. A closed envelope will contain the unique numbers of all the pairs of stockings and the information on which sock contains the copper. This envelope will remain closed for the whole recruitment period.

Patient data, history and physical examination:

Demographic data such as age, ethnicity, height and weight will be collected. Past medical history such as concomitant (chronic) diseases and the use of medications will be obtained. At each visit, subjective symptoms will be obtained using the Aberdeen Varicose Veins Questionnaire (AVVQ). For obtaining objective signs, the CEAP classification and the Venous Clinical Severity Scoring (VCSS) will be performed for grading the severity of the venous insufficiency per leg individually, and photographs with the Eykona® 3D camera will be taken. All data sets will be coded and anonymised. The data will be stored in a secure room within the Trust. All electronic data will be stored within password protected IT system within the Trust, which is only accessible by the clinical and research team.

Eykona® Wound Measurement System:

Skin changes associated with lipodermatosclerosis such as erythema, induration, hyperpigmentation and white atrophy, will be measured using the Eykona® Wound Measuring System (Type EYK10001). This system contains a 3D portable camera with software that enables precise measurements of wound size and tissue condition. Photographs will be taken at each visit. The surface area of the skin changes will be calculated.

Statistical analysis:

Statistical analysis will be performed using SPSS version 20.0 or higher. The CEAP classification, the Venous Clinical Severity Score and the AVVQ score at the 2, 4, and 8 weeks assessment will be compared with the baseline scores. The length, width and surface area of the skin condition from the leg with the copper will be compared with the control leg and the measurements at the 2, 4, and 8 weeks assessment will be compared with the baseline measurements. Paired t-test will be used for continuous data at baseline and a multilevel (mixed) regression model will be used to analyse the change over time.

Sample size calculation:

The sample size for this study will be 15. This number is based on the prevalence of the disease in this hospital over three months' time. There is no existing data available to allow a sample size calculation. The data collection of this pilot study will enable power calculation for a larger multicentre study.

02

Conditions studied

  • Lipodermatosclerosis
  • Chronic Venous Insufficiency
  • Venous Insufficiency
  • Varicose Veins

Keywords

  • Copper Oxide
  • Compression Therapy
  • Chronic Venous Disease
  • Randomised Controlled Trial
  • Lipodermatosclerosis
03

In context

Venous Insufficiency

162 studies on the registry are indexed under Venous Insufficiency; 14 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 16 is below the median of 60 across 127 interventional studies indexed under Venous Insufficiency.

Browse Venous Insufficiency studies →

Lead sponsor

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Male or female patients
  • CEAP classification 4 in both legs
  • Venous disease confirmed by venous duplex
  • Ability to understand and read the patient information sheet (in English)
  • Ability to give

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to give consent
  • Pregnancy
  • Current ulceration
  • Wilson's disease
  • Allergy to copper
  • Arterial insufficiency of the lower extremities
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

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.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
16 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Copper impregnated compression stocking

    Copper compression stocking containing 2-3% copper ions to be worn on one leg, daily for 8 weeks.

    Other: Copper impregnated compression stocking

  • Placebo comparator
    Normal compression stocking

    Similar compression stocking without copper to be worn on the other leg, daily for 8 weeks

    Other: Normal compression stocking

Interventions

  • OtherCopper impregnated compression stocking

    Copper impregnated compression stocking

  • OtherNormal compression stocking

    Normal compression stocking without copper

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ)

    Validated questionnaire consisting of 13 questions on signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency for each leg seperately and questions on compression stocking usage and quality of life. The scoring of the questionnaire is from 0, which indicates no effect on the patient, to 100, which indicates a severe effect.

    Time frame: 2 weeks

  2. Venous Clinical Severity Scoring (VCSS)

    Assessment tool consisting of 10 items: pain, varicose veins, oedema, skin pigmentation, inflammation, induration, ulceration (number, size and duration) and use of compression therapy, which are scored on a severity scale from 0 to 3.

    Time frame: 24 hours

Secondary outcomes

  1. Lipodermatosclerosis surface area

    Surface area of the affected skin measured using 3D photographs with the Eykona® Wound Measuring System (Type EYK10001).

    Time frame: 2, 4 and 8 weeks after wearing compression stockings

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

Publications

  • Rabe E, Guex JJ, Puskas A, Scuderi A, Fernandez Quesada F; VCP Coordinators. Epidemiology of chronic venous disorders in geographically diverse populations: results from the Vein Consult Program. Int Angiol. 2012 Apr;31(2):105-15. PubMed 22466974 ↗
  • Van den Oever R, Hepp B, Debbaut B, Simon I. Socio-economic impact of chronic venous insufficiency. An underestimated public health problem. Int Angiol. 1998 Sep;17(3):161-7. PubMed 9821029 ↗
  • Motykie GD, Caprini JA, Arcelus JI, Reyna JJ, Overom E, Mokhtee D. Evaluation of therapeutic compression stockings in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. Dermatol Surg. 1999 Feb;25(2):116-20. doi: 10.1046/j.1524-4725.1999.08095.x. PubMed 10037516 ↗
  • Eklof B, Perrin M, Delis KT, Rutherford RB, Gloviczki P; American Venous Forum; European Venous Forum; International Union of Phlebology; American College of Phlebology; International Union of Angiology. Updated terminology of chronic venous disorders: the VEIN-TERM transatlantic interdisciplinary consensus document. J Vasc Surg. 2009 Feb;49(2):498-501. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2008.09.014. PubMed 19216970 ↗
  • Raju S, Hollis K, Neglen P. Use of compression stockings in chronic venous disease: patient compliance and efficacy. Ann Vasc Surg. 2007 Nov;21(6):790-5. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2007.07.014. PubMed 17980798 ↗
  • Borkow G, Gabbay J. Copper as a biocidal tool. Curr Med Chem. 2005;12(18):2163-75. doi: 10.2174/0929867054637617. PubMed 16101497 ↗
  • O'Gorman J, Humphreys H. Application of copper to prevent and control infection. Where are we now? J Hosp Infect. 2012 Aug;81(4):217-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2012.05.009. Epub 2012 Jun 26. PubMed 22738611 ↗
  • Borkow G, Gabbay J, Zatcoff RC. Could chronic wounds not heal due to too low local copper levels? Med Hypotheses. 2008;70(3):610-3. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2007.06.006. Epub 2007 Aug 6. PubMed 17689198 ↗
  • Sen CK, Khanna S, Venojarvi M, Trikha P, Ellison EC, Hunt TK, Roy S. Copper-induced vascular endothelial growth factor expression and wound healing. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2002 May;282(5):H1821-7. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01015.2001. PubMed 11959648 ↗
  • Tenaud I, Sainte-Marie I, Jumbou O, Litoux P, Dreno B. In vitro modulation of keratinocyte wound healing integrins by zinc, copper and manganese. Br J Dermatol. 1999 Jan;140(1):26-34. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.1999.02603.x. PubMed 10215764 ↗
  • Ahmed Z, Briden A, Hall S, Brown RA. Stabilisation of cables of fibronectin with micromolar concentrations of copper: in vitro cell substrate properties. Biomaterials. 2004 Feb;25(5):803-12. doi: 10.1016/s0142-9612(03)00596-9. PubMed 14609669 ↗
  • Uauy R, Olivares M, Gonzalez M. Essentiality of copper in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 May;67(5 Suppl):952S-959S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/67.5.952S. PubMed 9587135 ↗
  • Hostynek JJ, Dreher F, Maibach HI. Human skin penetration of a copper tripeptide in vitro as a function of skin layer. Inflamm Res. 2011 Jan;60(1):79-86. doi: 10.1007/s00011-010-0238-9. Epub 2010 Aug 20. Erratum In: Inflamm Res. 2011 Jun;60(6):611. PubMed 20721598 ↗
  • Weinberg, I., Lazary, A., Jefidoff, A., Vatine, J.J., Borkow, G., Ohana, N. Safety of using diapers containing copper oxide in chronic care elderly patients. Open Biol J. 2013;6:54-59.
  • Borkow G, Okon-Levy N, Gabbay J. Copper oxide impregnated wound dressing: biocidal and safety studies. Wounds. 2010 Dec;22(12):301-10. PubMed 25901580 ↗
  • Arendsen LP, Vig S, Thakar R, Sultan AH. Impact of copper compression stockings on venous insufficiency and lipodermatosclerosis: A randomised controlled trial. Phlebology. 2019 May;34(4):224-230. doi: 10.1177/0268355518795329. Epub 2018 Aug 27. PubMed 30149775 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Sep 2015 to primary completion in Jan 2017, 15 months.

Of 37 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Venous Insufficiency, half reached primary completion within 14 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 60. This study's 15 months is close to that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 46 studies reached it within 15 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 38.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Sep 13, 2017
First posted
Sep 14, 2017
StartActual
Sep 23, 2015
Primary completionActual
Jan 9, 2017
CompletionActual
Jan 9, 2017
Last update
Sep 15, 2017
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 15, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03283800
Lead sponsor
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Responsible party
Mr Abdul H Sultan (Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 14, 2017
Start date
Sep 23, 2015
Primary completion
Jan 9, 2017
Completion
Jan 9, 2017
Last update
Sep 15, 2017

Study contacts

Abdul H Sultan
principal investigator · Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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