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Brain DeathNCT02483273

Alterations of Conjunctival Microcirculation in Brain Dead Patients

An observational study of Brain Death, run by Lithuanian University of Health Sciences at 1 site in Lithuania.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Study hypothesize that ocular microcirculation is reflecting cerebral perfusion. The purpose of this study is to evaluate ocular microcirculation in brain dead patients using side dark field (SDF) videomicroscope and compare it with microcirculatory parameters of healthy volunteers. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Brain Death
How many people
22 participants
Where
1 siteLithuania
Study dates
May 2011to Mar 2016
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: All single center tertiary level Neurosurgery Intensive Care unit patients angiographically confirmed brain dead.

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosed brain dead

Who cannot join

  • Conjunctival or sublingual mucosa damage

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Lithuania1 site
  • Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

    Kaunas

Other trials in Lithuania

About this study

Study hypothesize that ocular microcirculation is reflecting cerebral perfusion. The purpose of this study is to evaluate ocular microcirculation in brain dead patients using side dark field (SDF) videomicroscope and compare it with microcirculatory parameters of healthy volunteers.

Read the detailed description

Microcirculation videomicroscopy techniques are used to evaluate a global organ perfusion in various critical conditions using limited suitable sites available for visualisation. However, ocular microcirculation may become a window to specifically cerebral perfusion due to related blood supply, close anatomical proximity and easy accessibility for videomicroscopy. Cerebral perfusion mainly depends on cerebral flow and intracranial pressure and therefore we aim, for the first time, to demonstrate microcirculatory status of ocular conjunctiva in clinical conditions when cerebral flow is completely absent.

In a single center open label observational study investigators analyzed conjunctival and sublingual microcirculation using SDF videomicroscopy in brain dead patients after reaching systemic hemodynamic targets to optimise perfusion of donor organs. All brain death diagnoses were confirmed by cerebral angiography. Microcirculatory images obtained and analyzed using standardized published recommendations by experts in this field. Microcirculation of sublingual and conjunctival areas were recorded in matching number of healthy volunteers using same techniques.

Conditions
Brain Death
Keywords
Conjunctival microcirculation, Sublingual microcirculation, Sidestream Dark Field (SDF) microscopy
Medical subject headings
Brain Death

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT02483273
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Brain dead patientsBrain dead patients certified by cerebral angiography.
Healthy volunteersAny person with no known cerebral pathology.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Microvascular flow index (MFI) of ocular conjunctiva.

    Conjunctival convective oxygen transport presented as MFI of small vessels mostly capillaries with diameter cutoff value of 20µm. Images of microcirculation were taken from at least three different points in each ocular conjunctiva and recorded for at least 20 seconds avoiding pressure artifacts. Microcirculation images were obtained using SDF videomicroscopy (Microscan®, Microvision Medicals, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Data recorded to the hard drive of personal computer using AVA 3.0v software (Microvision Medical, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Video clips were then randomly blinded and later analyzed by 2 independent investigators.

    Measured: After confirmed diagnosis of brain death of any course using cerebral angiography at any time up to 24 hours.

  2. Total vessel density (TVD) of ocular concunctiva.

    Conjunctival microvascular diffusion distance presented as TVD (mm/mm²) of small vessels mostly capillaries with diameter cutoff value of 20µm. Images of microcirculation were taken from at least three different points in each ocular conjunctiva and recorded for at least 20 seconds avoiding pressure artifacts. Microcirculation images were obtained using SDF videomicroscopy (Microscan®, Microvision Medicals, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Data recorded to the hard drive of personal computer using AVA 3.0v software (Microvision Medical, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Video clips were then randomly blinded and later analyzed by 2 independent investigators.

    Measured: After confirmed diagnosis of brain death of any course using cerebral angiography at any time up to 24 hours.

  3. Perfused vessel density (PVD) of ocular conjunctiva.

    Conjunctival microvascular diffusion distance presented as PVD (mm/mm²) of small vessels mostly capillaries with diameter cutoff value of 20µm. Images of microcirculation were taken from at least three different points in each ocular conjunctiva and recorded for at least 20 seconds avoiding pressure artifacts. Microcirculation images were obtained using SDF videomicroscopy (Microscan®, Microvision Medicals, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Data recorded to the hard drive of personal computer using AVA 3.0v software (Microvision Medical, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Video clips were then randomly blinded and later analyzed by 2 independent investigators

    Measured: After confirmed diagnosis of brain death of any course using cerebral angiography at any time up to 24 hours.

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Microvascular flow index (MFI) of sublingual mucosa.

    Sublingual mucosa convective oxygen transport presented as MFI of small vessels mostly capillaries with diameter cutoff value of 20µm. Images of microcirculation were taken from at least three different points in sublingual mucosa and recorded for at least 20 seconds avoiding pressure artifacts. Microcirculation images were obtained using SDF videomicroscopy (Microscan®, Microvision Medicals, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Data recorded to the hard drive of personal computer using AVA 3.0v software (Microvision Medical, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Video clips were then randomly blinded and later analyzed by 2 independent investigators.

    Measured: After confirmed diagnosis of brain death of any course using cerebral angiography at any time up to 24 hours.

  2. Total vessel density (TVD) of sublingual mucosa.

    Sublingual mucosa microvascular diffusion distance presented as TVD (mm/mm²) of small vessels mostly capillaries with diameter cutoff value of 20µm. Images of microcirculation were taken from at least three different points in sublingual mucosa and recorded for at least 20 seconds avoiding pressure artifacts. Microcirculation images were obtained using SDF videomicroscopy (Microscan®, Microvision Medicals, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Data recorded to the hard drive of personal computer using AVA 3.0v software (Microvision Medical, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Video clips were then randomly blinded and later analyzed by 2 independent investigators.

    Measured: After confirmed diagnosis of brain death of any course using cerebral angiography at any time up to 24 hours.

  3. Perfused vessel density (PVD) of sublingual mucosa.

    Sublingual mucosa microvascular diffusion distance presented as PVD (mm/mm²) of small vessels mostly capillaries with diameter cutoff value of 20µm. Images of microcirculation were taken from at least three different points in sublingual mucosa and recorded for at least 20 seconds avoiding pressure artifacts. Microcirculation images were obtained using SDF videomicroscopy (Microscan®, Microvision Medicals, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Data recorded to the hard drive of personal computer using AVA 3.0v software (Microvision Medical, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Video clips were then randomly blinded and later analyzed by 2 independent investigators.

    Measured: After confirmed diagnosis of brain death of any course using cerebral angiography at any time up to 24 hours.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted26 Jun 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2011
  3. Primary completionSep 2015
  4. Study completionMar 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
22 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02483273
Sponsor's protocol ID
P1-BE-2-19/2011
Status last verified
Mar 2016
First submitted
18 Jun 2015
Last updated
3 Mar 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • De Backer D, Hollenberg S, Boerma C, Goedhart P, Buchele G, Ospina-Tascon G, Dobbe I, Ince C. How to evaluate the microcirculation: report of a round table conference. Crit Care. 2007;11(5):R101. doi: 10.1186/cc6118.

    PubMed 17845716
  • Goedhart PT, Khalilzada M, Bezemer R, Merza J, Ince C. Sidestream Dark Field (SDF) imaging: a novel stroboscopic LED ring-based imaging modality for clinical assessment of the microcirculation. Opt Express. 2007 Nov 12;15(23):15101-14. doi: 10.1364/oe.15.015101.

    PubMed 19550794
  • De Backer D, Ospina-Tascon G, Salgado D, Favory R, Creteur J, Vincent JL. Monitoring the microcirculation in the critically ill patient: current methods and future approaches. Intensive Care Med. 2010 Nov;36(11):1813-25. doi: 10.1007/s00134-010-2005-3. Epub 2010 Aug 6.

    PubMed 20689916
  • Schaser KD, Settmacher U, Puhl G, Zhang L, Mittlmeier T, Stover JF, Vollmar B, Menger MD, Neuhaus P, Haas NP. Noninvasive analysis of conjunctival microcirculation during carotid artery surgery reveals microvascular evidence of collateral compensation and stenosis-dependent adaptation. J Vasc Surg. 2003 Apr;37(4):789-97. doi: 10.1067/mva.2003.139.

    PubMed 12663979
  • Miller MM, Chang T, Keating R, Crouch E, Sable C. Blood flow velocities are reduced in the optic nerve of children with elevated intracranial pressure. J Child Neurol. 2009 Jan;24(1):30-5. doi: 10.1177/0883073808321050.

    PubMed 19168816
  • Ragauskas A, Matijosaitis V, Zakelis R, Petrikonis K, Rastenyte D, Piper I, Daubaris G. Clinical assessment of noninvasive intracranial pressure absolute value measurement method. Neurology. 2012 May 22;78(21):1684-91. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182574f50. Epub 2012 May 9.

    PubMed 22573638
  • Pranskunas A, Vellinga NA, Pilvinis V, Koopmans M, Boerma EC. Microcirculatory changes during open label magnesium sulphate infusion in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. BMC Anesthesiol. 2011 Jun 14;11:12. doi: 10.1186/1471-2253-11-12.

    PubMed 21672227
  • Tamosuitis T, Pranskunas A, Balciuniene N, Pilvinis V, Boerma EC. Conjunctival microcirculatory blood flow is altered but not abolished in brain dead patients: a prospective observational study. BMC Neurol. 2016 Jul 11;16:95. doi: 10.1186/s12883-016-0618-z.

    PubMed 27401581

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Brain Death, run by Lithuanian University of Health Sciences at 1 site in Lithuania.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Mar 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Lithuania. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Microvascular flow index (MFI) of ocular conjunctiva. (time frame: After confirmed diagnosis of brain death of any course using cerebral angiography at any time up to 24 hours.). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02483273, which also lists 8 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Mar 2016; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.

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