ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT04862468DEXTERITY-AFPUpdated Sep 25, 2026

Perivenous Dexamethasone Therapy: Examining Reduction of Inflammation After Thrombus Removal to Yield Benefit in Acute Femoropopliteal DVT

A Phase 2 interventional study of Perivascular dexamethasone and Perivascular sham in Thrombosis, Deep Vein and Iliofemoral; Thrombosis, sponsored by Mercator MedSystems, Inc.. Recruiting at 22 sites in 3 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 89 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-25.

Sponsored by Mercator MedSystems, Inc. · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Oct 2021; still recruiting 5 years later.
Updated Sep 25, 2026Site recruiting status changedPrimary completion moved+3 moreGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 89 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is a study of a medical procedure that utilizes a commercially available catheter (the Bullfrog® Micro-Infusion Device) to locally deliver a commercially available anti-inflammatory drug (dexamethasone sodium phosphate injection) around the deep veins after DVT recanalization, where DVT symptoms were present for up to 14 days prior to recanalization. The goal of the study is to see if local anti-inflammation helps prevent re-thrombosis of the blood vessel and improvement in symptoms for up to 24 months after the initial DVT recanalization procedure.

02

Conditions studied

  • Thrombosis, Deep Vein
  • Iliofemoral; Thrombosis
03

In context

Venous Thrombosis

785 studies on the registry are indexed under Venous Thrombosis; 110 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 80 is below the median of 152 across 477 interventional studies indexed under Venous Thrombosis.

Browse Venous Thrombosis studies →

Lead sponsor

Mercator MedSystems, Inc. is the lead sponsor of 10 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 89 Years
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. Provision of signed and dated form prior to receiving any non-standard of care, protocol-specific procedures.
  2. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures including completion of questionnaires and follow-up visits and availability for the duration of the study.
  3. Male or female, aged 18 to 89 years.
  4. For females of : use of highly effective (abstinence is acceptable) for at least 1 month prior to study treatment (unless they had given birth within the 1 month prior to study treatment), and agreement to use such a method for at least 30 days after study treatment.
  5. Onset of acute DVT symptoms of 14 days or less prior to initial intervention in the study limb.
  6. Ability to take oral medication and be willing to adhere to the prescribed anti-coagulant regimen.
  7. Post-procedural prescription for at least 28 days low molecular weight heparin followed by therapeutic anticoagulant of investigator's choice for 12 months minimum as part of post-interventional medication regimen.
  8. Minimum of 28 days of prescribed antiplatelet agent (aspirin or P2Y12 inhibitor) for patients receiving stents.
  9. DVT located in any of the major femoropopliteal veins (common femoral, femoral, and/or popliteal above the tibial plateau), with possible extension downstream into the iliac veins.
  10. Successful recanalization of the target vein with removal of acute thrombus.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Current enrollment in another non-registry clinical study of systemic drug therapy or another device study that has not completed its primary endpoint, including prior enrollment in this study. Concurrent enrollment in registry studies of approved devices or drugs are acceptable.
  2. Lack of capability of understanding the nature, significance and implications of the clinical trial.
  3. between 40 kg/m2 and 45 kg/m2, with significant comorbidity which, in the Investigator's discretion, could impair follow-up or study outcomes.
  4. Body Mass Index > 45 kg/m2.
  5. Non-ambulatory status prior to DVT occurrence.
  6. In the study leg: current established PTS (Villalta ≥ 5 for more than 14 days), current known symptomatic deep venous insufficiency for more than 14 days, or previous symptomatic DVT within the last 365 days.
  7. In the contralateral (non-study) leg: symptomatic DVT that, in the opinion of the operating physician, will require a subsequent open or endovascular surgery in the following 30 days.
  8. In cases with symptoms of limb-threatening circulatory compromise, ankle-brachial index \<0.4, absolute ankle pressure \<50 mmHg or absolute toe pressure \<30 mmHg.
  9. Pulmonary embolism (PE) defined as either massive (systolic blood pressure \< 90 mmHg and/or patient on IV vasoactive medication to support blood pressure), or intermediate high-risk PE, as defined by the European Society Guideline on management of PE. Low-risk PE and/or intermediate low-risk PE can be enrolled.
  10. Inability to tolerate contemporary venous intervention procedure due to severe dyspnea or acute systemic illness.
  11. Allergy or to any drugs planned for use in the case (including dexamethasone sodium phosphate, iodinated contrast, low molecular-weight heparin, or recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, rtPA, if planned), except for mild-moderate contrast allergies for which pre-medication can be used.
  12. History of, or active heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).
  13. \< 8.0 g/dl.
  14. > 1.6 before starting anticoagulation.
  15. \< 100,000/ml.
  16. Severe renal impairment (estimated \< 30 ml/min).
  17. Active bleeding, recent (\< 1 mo) GI bleeding, severe liver dysfunction, bleeding diathesis.
  18. Recent (\< 3 mo) internal eye surgery or hemorrhagic retinopathy.
  19. Recent (\< 10 days) major surgery, trauma, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or other invasive procedure which, in the Investigator's discretion, could impair follow-up or study outcomes.
  20. Obstetrical delivery \<72 hours prior to procedure.
  21. Hemorrhagic stroke within the last 365 days.
  22. Intracranial/intraspinal bleed within the last 365 days.
  23. Intracranial/intraspinal tumor within the last 365 days.
  24. Intracranial/intraspinal vascular malformation within the last 365 days.
  25. Intracranial/intraspinal aneurysm within the last 365 days.
  26. Active symptomatic COVID-19 infection that, in the Investigator's discretion, could impair follow-up or study outcomes.
  27. Severe hypertension on repeated readings (systolic blood pressure > 180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure > 105 mmHg). This can be treated, and blood pressure must be stable before venous access is obtained (systolic blood pressure \<140 mmHg).
  28. Pregnant or breastfeeding.
  29. \< 2 years (e.g. due to active cancer).
  30. Major thrombus of the inferior vena cava (IVC) (occlusive or near-occlusive) extending at least one centimeter above the common iliac confluence.
  31. Inability to obtain venous access.
  32. Inability to recanalize the target vein segment with less than 30% residual obstruction due to thrombus.
  33. History of ipsilateral venous stent.
  34. DVT target length intended for drug treatment exceeds 50 cm.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(11)

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.

Reproductive potential

Able to have children. For women this usually means from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery; for men, unless permanently sterile. Read who the line is about — participants, women, men, or their partners.

Criteria about it usually ask for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

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.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
80 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Treatment

    Combination Product: Perivascular dexamethasone

  • Sham comparator
    Control

    Combination Product: Perivascular sham

Interventions

  • Combination productPerivascular dexamethasone

    Dexamethasone delivery around target vein segment(s)

  • Combination productPerivascular sham

    Saline delivery around target vein segment(s)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Rate of clinically relevant primary patency

    Rate of freedom from loss of patency (defined as 100% occlusion of unstented vein or 50% stenosis of stented vein measured by duplex ultrasound or angiogram) with associated symptoms

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. Limit the progression to PTS

    PTS rate by Villalta score ≥5.

    Time frame: 6 months

  3. Rate of freedom from major adverse event (MAE)

    Rate of freedom from composite of all-cause death, clinically significant pulmonary embolism, major bleeding, target vessel thrombosis, infection of treatment or insertion site, or AV fistula of treatment site

    Time frame: 30 days

07

Study locations

18 of 22 sites recruiting
08

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedDate before it movedWhere the date was before it movedSimilar 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

Started Oct 2021 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 62 months after the start.

Of 16 phase 2 interventional studies under Venous Thrombosis, half reached primary completion within 19 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 42. This study's planned 62 months is above that.

Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Sep 25, 2026: primary completion Aug 2026 → Dec 2026 and completion Feb 2028 → Feb 2029.

Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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

Registered
Apr 23, 2021
First posted
Apr 28, 2021
StartActual
Oct 29, 2021
Primary completionEst.
Dec 31, 2026was Aug 2026
CompletionEst.
Feb 1, 2029was Feb 2028
Last update
Sep 25, 2026
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.
Sites
6 sites added, 1 site removed. 2 sites changed recruiting status (2 now completed)
Show 2 sites
  • Baptist Health · Jacksonville, United StatesRecruiting→Completed
  • OhioHealth Research Institute · Columbus, United StatesActive, not recruiting→Completed
Show 6 added (6 United States)
  • HonorHealth · Scottsdale, United States
  • Grady Memorial Hospital · Atlanta, United States
  • HCA Medical City Arlington · Arlington, United States
  • HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center · Houston, United States
  • Baylor Scott & White Hospital · Plano, United States
  • UW Medical Center - Northwest · Seattle, United States
Show 1 removed
  • St John Health System · Bartlesville, United States
Sep 25, 2026
Primary completion
Aug 1, 2026→Dec 31, 2026
Sep 25, 2026
Study completion
Feb 1, 2028→Feb 1, 2029
Sep 25, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Sep 25, 2026
    6 sites added, 1 site removed. 2 sites changed recruiting status (2 now completed)
    Show 2 sites
    • Baptist Health · Jacksonville, United StatesRecruiting→Completed
    • OhioHealth Research Institute · Columbus, United StatesActive, not recruiting→Completed
    Show 6 added (6 United States)
    • HonorHealth · Scottsdale, United States
    • Grady Memorial Hospital · Atlanta, United States
    • HCA Medical City Arlington · Arlington, United States
    • HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center · Houston, United States
    • Baylor Scott & White Hospital · Plano, United States
    • UW Medical Center - Northwest · Seattle, United States
    Show 1 removed
    • St John Health System · Bartlesville, United States
    Primary completion Aug 1, 2026→Dec 31, 2026
    Study completion Feb 1, 2028→Feb 1, 2029
    + 2 other changes: verification date and data sharing statement

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04862468
Lead sponsor
Mercator MedSystems, Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 28, 2021
Start date
Oct 29, 2021
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 1, 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 25, 2026

Study contacts

Kirk Seward, PhD
Contact
kseward@mercatormed.com
510-614-4550

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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