ClinicalTrials.gg
WithdrawnNCT03446599Updated Mar 2, 2020

Hemodynamic Effects of Methylene Blue vs Hydroxocobalamin in Patients at Risk of Vasoplegia During Cardiac Surgery

A Phase 2 interventional study of Hydroxocobalamin and Methylene Blue in Vasoplegia, Hypotension and Coronary Artery Disease, sponsored by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Withdrawn at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-03-02.

Sponsored by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was withdrawn
Lack of funding
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is a pilot study to determine the hemodynamic effects when hydroxocobalamin vs methylene blue is administered during cardiopulmonary bypass in patients at risk of vasoplegia by measuring mean arterial pressure (MAP), systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and vasopressor requirement.

Read the detailed description

Type of study: Randomized, placebo-controlled single-center pilot study Expected duration of subject participation: from the start of cardiac surgical procedure to 24 hours after separation from CPB.

Summary description of sequence and duration of all trial periods:

  1. Recruitment and Enrollment: Patients undergoing CABG and/or valve surgery will be approached by their anesthesia provider regarding their interest in participating in this study. Those who express interest will be screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria the morning or day before scheduled surgery. Informed consent will be obtained from participants by study personnel.
  2. Preoperative data will be obtained from the electronic medical record and verified with the patient: sex, age, height/weight/BSA, type of surgery, preoperative use of ACEi, beta-blocker, calcium-channel blocker, amiodarone, LVEF), and mean arterial pressure (MAP).
  3. Intraoperative events, Operative and Medication Data: All participants will undergo routine induction of anesthesia. Anesthesia will be induced and maintained with midazolam, fentanyl, propofol, and isoflurane. The patient will undergo routine monitoring for all cardiac surgical patients at DHMC, which includes: arterial line mean arterial pressure (MAP, mmHg), central venous pressure (CVP, mmHg), cardiac output (CO, liters.min-1) by pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) thermodilution, serum pH, pCO2 and lactate by blood gas sampling during the pre-CPB period, during CPB and after separation from CPB, and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Vasopressor will be initiated and titrated to maintain MAP>60mmHg in the pre- and post-CPB period, MAP>50mmHg while on CPB, and vasopressor doses will be recorded on the anesthesia record by the providing team. After the induction of cardiopulmonary bypass, all patients will undergo non-pulsatile hypothermic (32-34 degrees celsius) CPB with a membrane oxygenator and an arterial line filter. The pump will be primed with crystalloid and serial hematocrit levels will be maintained at > 18%. Perfusion will be maintained at pump flow rates of 2-2.5L.min1.m2 throughout CPB to maintain mean arterial pressures 50-80mmg. Arterial blood gases will be measured every 20-30minutes to maintain arterial carbon dioxide partial pressures of 35-40mmHg, unadjusted for temperature (alpha-stat) and oxygen partial pressures of 150-250mmHg. An automated anesthesia record keeping system (e-DH, EPIC®™) records intraoperative hemodynamics at one-minute intervals and stores them into a networked drive. Total CPB time and cross-clamp time and intraoperative medications will also be recorded into e-DH.
  4. On the initiation of CPB, participants will be randomized to: Group 1 - Hydroxocobalamin (n=20), Group 2 - Methylene blue (n=20) or Group 3 - Placebo (n=20)
  5. 15 minutes after the initiation of CPB, the study drug will be administered intravenously through the central venous line by the anesthesia providers.
  6. The study endpoints will be recorded from the anesthesia record above: MAP, CVP, CO, serum pH, pCO2 and lactate, vasopressor requirements, LVEF by TEE and end-tidal isoflurane dose at the following time points: 30 minutes after the induction of anesthesia (A), 15 minutes after the initiation of CPB just before the administration of study drug (pre-drug; time B), 30- and 60- minutes after the administration of study drug (post drug, times C and D), and 15-30 and 60-90 minutes after separation from CPB (post CPB, times E and F).
  7. From the above measurements, calculated endpoints are derived: cardiac index calculated by CI=CO/body surface area (BSA), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR in dynes.s.cm-5) = (MAP-CVP)/CO x 800, and SVR index (SVRI) = (MAP-CVP)/CI x 800.
  8. Follow-up will be carried out 24 hours after separation from CPB. Most patients are extubated in the intensive care unit at this time. The following data will be recorded: whether the patient has been extubated, vasopressor requirement, MAP and SVR, and adverse events at 24 hours.
02

Conditions studied

  • Vasoplegia
  • Hypotension
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • Cardiac Valve Disease

Keywords

  • cardiac surgery
  • vasoplegia
  • cardiopulmonary bypass
03

In context

Vasoplegia

48 studies on the registry are indexed under Vasoplegia; 19 are open to participants now.

Browse Vasoplegia studies →

Lead sponsor

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 488 studies on the registry; 71 are open to participants now.

Of its 31 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 21 (68%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
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

  1. 60 patients > 18 years of age
  2. undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valve surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)
  3. who have 2 or more preoperative risk factors for vasoplegia1-6:

    1. angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor, beta-blocker or amiodarone use within 24 hours of surgery
    2. anticipated CPB duration greater than 120minutes (combined CABG and valve procedure, >3 planned grafts, > 2 valve surgery)
    3. baseline (LVEF) of less than 40%.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Emergency surgery
  2. Severe renal insufficiency (preoperative Cr > 1.8)
  3. Severe hepatic disease (preoperative diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, or recent elevated liver function tests)
  4. Pregnancy or women of
  5. Known to hydroxocobalamin or cyanocobalamin
  6. Known hypersensitivity to methylene blue
  7. Other known to methylene blue use: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, or ongoing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) or monoamine inhibitor (MAOi) use.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

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.

LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)

The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Hydroxocobalamin

    Participants in this arm will receive one intravenous 5-gram dose of hydroxocobalamin reconstituted in 200ml of normal saline over 10-15minutes at the time of initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass.

    Drug: Hydroxocobalamin

  • Experimental
    Methyelene blue

    Participants in this arm will receive one intravenous 2mg/kg dose of methylene blue diluted in 200ml of normal saline over 10-15minutes at the time of initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass.

    Drug: Methylene Blue

  • Placebo comparator
    Normal saline

    Participants in this arm will receive an intravenous administration of 200ml normal saline over 10-15minutes at the time of initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass.

    Drug: Normal saline

Interventions

  • One intravenous dose of 5mg hydroxocobalamin, which is the current FDA-approved adult dose for carbon monoxide poisoning, reconstituted in 200ml normal saline will be administered over 10-15minutes at the time of initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass.

  • One intravenous dose of methylene blue 2mg/kg, which has been the accepted dose for vasoplegia, diluted in 200ml normal saline will be administered over 10-15minutes at the time of initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass.

  • DrugNormal saline

    200ml normal saline will be administered intravenously over 10-15minutes at the time of initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. ΔMAP (baseline to 30 min after CPB separation) in OH-CO and placebo groups.

    Our primary outcome measure is the change in MAP between one of the treatment (hydroxocobalamin) and placebo groups measured at 30 minutes post-CPB

    Time frame: From baseline to 30 minutes after successful separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)

Secondary outcomes

  1. ΔMAP (baseline to 30 min after CPB separation) in OH-CO and MB groups.

    Our first secondary outcome measure is the change in MAP between the two treatment groups measured at 30 minutes post-CPB

    Time frame: From baseline to 30 minutes after successful separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)

  2. ΔMAP between baseline and all time points (30 and 60 minutes after CPB initiation, and 30 and 60 minutes after CPB separation) between all 3 groups.

    Our next secondary outcome measure is the change in MAP between all 3 groups at all measured time points.

    Time frame: From baseline to all measured time points (30 and 60 minutes after CPB initiation, and 30 and 60 minutes after CPB separation).

  3. ΔSVR (baseline to 30 min after CPB separation) in OH-CO and placebo groups.

    Change in SVR between one of the treatment (hydroxocobalamin) and placebo groups measured at 30 minutes post-CPB

    Time frame: From baseline to 30 minutes after successful separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)

  4. ΔSVR (baseline to 30 min after CPB separation) in OH-CO and MB groups.

    Change in SVR between the two treatment groups measured at 30 minutes post-CPB

    Time frame: From baseline to 30 minutes after successful separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)

  5. ΔSVR between baseline and all time points (30 and 60 minutes after CPB initiation, and 30 and 60 minutes after CPB separation) between all 3 groups.

    Change in SVR between all 3 groups at all measured time points.

    Time frame: From baseline to all measured time points (30 and 60 minutes after CPB initiation, and 30 and 60 minutes after CPB separation).

  6. Differences in phenylephrine requirements during CPB between all 3 groups during CPB

    Phenylephrine dose in mcg/kg/min will be recorded from electronic medical record

    Time frame: At 30 and 60 minutes after initiation of CPB

  7. Differences in Norepinephrine requirements during CPB between all 3 groups during and after CPB

    Norepinephrine dose in mcg/kg/min will be recorded from electronic medical record

    Time frame: At 30 and 60 minutes after initiation of CPB, and 30 and 60 minutes after separation from CPB

  8. Differences in Vasopressin requirements during CPB between all 3 groups during and after CPB

    Vasopressin dose in units/min will be recorded from electronic medical record

    Time frame: At 30 and 60 minutes after initiation of CPB, and 30 and 60 minutes after separation from CPB

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock
    Lebanon, New Hampshire 03756, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Start is estimated for Nov 2019; primary completion for May 2020, 6 months later.

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

Registered
Feb 20, 2018
First posted
Feb 27, 2018
StartEst.
Nov 2019
Primary completionEst.
May 2020
CompletionEst.
Jun 30, 2020
Last update
Mar 2, 2020
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 Mar 2, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03446599
Responsible party
Ying H. Low (Staff Physician, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 27, 2018
Start date
Nov 2019 (estimated)
Primary completion
May 2020 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2020 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 2, 2020

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is withdrawn, as verified in Feb 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drugs tested here: Hydroxocobalamin · Methylene Blue

Start the discussion