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TachycardiaEarly Phase 1PEACENCT05096884

Post-Acute Sequelae of Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) With Dyspnea on Exertion And Associated TaChycardia TrEatment Study

A Early Phase 1 study testing Metoprolol Succinate in people with Tachycardia and Dyspnea, run by Hackensack Meridian Health at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

Most patients with acute COVID-19 (Coronavirus 19) recover within weeks, however a significant number of individuals will develop the post-acute COVID 19 syndrome (PASC). As of July 2021, the post COVID syndrome qualifies as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 40 years
Conditions the study is for
Tachycardia, Dyspnea, COVID-19
What is being tested?
Metoprolol Succinate
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
14 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
23 Mar 2022to 12 Sep 2023
Phase
Early Phase 1
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 to 40 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Subject should be between the ages of 18 and 40 with DOE (dyspnea on exertion) for 3 - 12 months
  • Subjects recovered from acute, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive, COVID-19 infection
  • Recovery from COVID-19 will be defined as substantial improvement in or essential resolution of initial clinical symptoms
  • Demonstration of tachycardia and/or dyspnea with minimal activity (subjectively different than pre-COVID 19 infection state)
  • Abnormal HUTT (heads up tilt test)
  • Normal chest x-ray
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  • Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >50% by transthoracic echocardiography
  • Zva >3.5 as calculated from TTE (transthoracic echocardiogram).
  • Hemoglobin/Hematocrit within normal laboratory standards
  • Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) within normal laboratory standards

Who cannot join

  • Active pregnancy (negative pregnancy test is the standard of care prior to HUTT)
  • Demonstrate a primary cause of appropriate DOE and sinus tachycardia
  • Fevers/infection
  • Hypovolemia
  • Anemia
  • Hyperthyroidism
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Alcohol/drug/medication withdrawal
  • Currently taking beta blocker medications
  • Currently being treated for pre-existing neurally mediated hypotension/syncope or known dysautonomia.
  • Medical history of chronic lung disease or reactive airway syndrome.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Hackensack Univeristy Medical Center

    Hackensack, New Jersey, 07601

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Post-Acute Sequelae of Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) With DysPnEA on ExertIon And Associated TaChycardia TrEatment Study

Most patients with acute COVID-19 (Coronavirus 19) recover within weeks, however a significant number of individuals will develop the post-acute COVID 19 syndrome (PASC). As of July 2021, the post COVID syndrome qualifies as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The symptoms which comprise this condition are highly variable and often extraordinarily debilitating. They may be distinct from the initial presentation or may mimic those which defined the initial infection. The post COVID syndrome can be diagnosed when symptoms persist longer than 3 months and may extend to beyond one year. There are risks for permanent levels of disability. Patients who seemingly did not have active COVID-19 symptoms in the days following infectious exposure may also develop post Covid syndromes. These syndromes are considered to constitute a distinct clinical entity which has of yet no clearly defined pathogenic mechanism or validated treatment algorithms.

International investigative efforts are now underway to determine who might develop the post COVID syndrome, it's long term consequences and how best to treat its many problematic symptoms.

Read the detailed description

Although the long Covid syndrome or PASC is a well recognized syndrome, its pathogenesis is poorly understood. Hypotheses have included persistent viral remnants with consequent provocation of the generalized symptoms characteristic of systemic inflammation. The virus may continue to infect heart, lung or neurologic tissue rendering various organs dysfunctional. Alternatively there could be persistently infected or damaged endothelial cells which line blood vessels and thereby create perturbations of blood flow.

The altered blood flow might then explain the many reported symptoms. However the pathogenesis can be distinguished and studied independently from the physiological disturbance. Existing and accepted therapies for tachycardia and shortness of breath, although they might not reverse the virus caused injury, could be used to reduce the resultant physiologic abnormalities which in turn produce the symptoms of the long Covid syndrome. Beta blockers are standard therapies in sinus tachycardias, (1,2) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) (3,4) which are often characterized by high levels of sympathetic drive which beta blockers are designed to modulate.

Thus it is reasonable to hypothesize that that treatment with beta blockers may be an effective intervention as Covid-19 directly infects the nerve and vascular tissues which regulate sympathetic excess which in turn may produce the cardiovascular symptoms of PASC. Moreover it is important to specifically study beta blockers in PASC because they are currently actively in use for this indication. Yet the possibility remains that although the symptoms are similar to those in which beta blockers have been effective, the pathologic processes in PASC will not be responsive to beta blocker therapy. If this were to be true, beta blockers would prove ineffective and might carry a risk of harm. Equally as important is to properly determine the effective dose as the therapeutic window for these agents is wide.

Metoprolol which is a widely used agent in cardiovascular disease is approved in doses ranging from 25 to 400 mg per day. The proposed study will compare 6 minute walk distances (pre and post the treatment), the echocardiographic measurement of the impact of sympathetic excess on the heart's ability to empty effectively and a quality of life survey. Each of these study elements will be measured before and after progressively increased doses of beta blocker.

Our study is thus designed to study two issues:

  1. Whether beta blockers which have been utilized to treat tachycardias, POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), and hypertension will have similar effectiveness in PASC
  2. To determine appropriate dosing which may be different than those used on non PASC conditions.
Being tested
Metoprolol Succinate
Keywords
COVID-19, Post-COVID, Long-COVID, Tachycardia, Shortness of breath, Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)
Medical subject headings
Tachycardia, Dyspnea, COVID-19, Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome

What participants receive

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

  • Metoprolol SuccinateDrug

    The beta blocker metoprolol succinate will be initiated at a starting low dose of 25 mg daily for two weeks and will be escalated if well tolerated every 2 weeks to a maximum dose of 400 mg po daily.

Study groups in NCT05096884
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Study arm - Metoprolol Succinate.ExperimentalThe beta blocker metoprolol succinate will be initiated at a starting low dose of 25 mg daily for two weeks and will be escalated if well tolerated every 2 weeks to a maximum dose of 400 mg po daily.
Receives: Drug: Metoprolol Succinate

What is being measured

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

  1. Change in 6 Minute Walk Test at the End of Treatment Period

    To assess the reduction of symptoms in patients with PASC Dyspnea on Exertion (DOE) and associated tachycardia when treated with beta blockers as captured in patients walk test. Walk test will be performed at day 1 (baseline) and at 2-4 weeks post treatment completion which consists of 8 weeks metoprolol succinate (approximately 12 weeks from baseline).

    Measured: 12 weeks from baseline walk test

  2. Change in Zva Measurement at the End of Treatment Period

    To assess the reduction of symptoms in patients with PASC Dyspnea on Exertion (DOE) and associated tachycardia when treated with beta blockers as captured in Zva measurement calculated from patient's TTE (transthoracic echocardiogram).

    TTE (and Zva) will be performed at day 1 (baseline) and at 2-4 weeks post treatment completion which consists of 8 weeks metoprolol succinate (approximately 12 weeks from baseline).

    Measured: 12 weeks from baseline transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE).

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Change in Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Score at the End of Treatment Period

    Subjective improvement in Dyspnea on Exertion (DOE), tachycardia and well being score as measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure.

    The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire will be administered at day 1 (baseline) and at 2-4 weeks post treatment completion which consists of 8 weeks metoprolol succinate (approximately 12 weeks from baseline). Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire is a 21-item questionnaire with each item having a 6 point Likert scale (0-5), Zero represents "No symptom" and 5 represents high intensity of symptom. The questionnaire has 3 dimension and they measure Physical, socio-economic and emotional/psychological aspects respectively. The total score is the sum of all item responses for total and dimension scores.

    Measured: 12 weeks from baseline

Timeline

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

  1. First posted27 Oct 2021
  2. Study start23 Mar 2022
  3. Primary completion12 Sep 2023
  4. Study completion12 Sep 2023

Why it stopped: Low accrual

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Early Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
14 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05096884
Sponsor's protocol ID
Pro2021-1100
Acronym
PEACE
Status last verified
Nov 2024
First submitted
25 Oct 2021
Last updated
3 Dec 2024
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, Calkins H, Conti JB, Deal BJ, Estes NA 3rd, Field ME, Goldberger ZD, Hammill SC, Indik JH, Lindsay BD, Olshansky B, Russo AM, Shen WK, Tracy CM, Al-Khatib SM; Evidence Review Committee Chairdouble dagger. 2015 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Management of Adult Patients With Supraventricular Tachycardia: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation. 2016 Apr 5;133(14):e506-74. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000311. Epub 2015 Sep 23. No abstract available.

    PubMed 26399663
  • Brugada J, Katritsis DG, Arbelo E, Arribas F, Bax JJ, Blomstrom-Lundqvist C, Calkins H, Corrado D, Deftereos SG, Diller GP, Gomez-Doblas JJ, Gorenek B, Grace A, Ho SY, Kaski JC, Kuck KH, Lambiase PD, Sacher F, Sarquella-Brugada G, Suwalski P, Zaza A; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2019 ESC Guidelines for the management of patients with supraventricular tachycardiaThe Task Force for the management of patients with supraventricular tachycardia of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Heart J. 2020 Feb 1;41(5):655-720. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehz467. No abstract available.

    PubMed 31504425
  • Deng X, Zhang Y, Liao Y, Du J. Efficacy of beta-Blockers on Postural Tachycardia Syndrome in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Pediatr. 2019 Nov 7;7:460. doi: 10.3389/fped.2019.00460. eCollection 2019.

    PubMed 31788462
  • Raj SR, Black BK, Biaggioni I, Paranjape SY, Ramirez M, Dupont WD, Robertson D. Propranolol decreases tachycardia and improves symptoms in the postural tachycardia syndrome: less is more. Circulation. 2009 Sep 1;120(9):725-34. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.846501. Epub 2009 Aug 17.

    PubMed 19687359

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Early Phase 1 study testing Metoprolol Succinate in people with Tachycardia and Dyspnea, run by Hackensack Meridian Health at 1 site in United States.

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 10 inclusion and 10 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Dec 2024. 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 United States. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Early Phase 1 (sometimes called Phase 0) studies give a very small amount of a treatment to a few people, mainly to see how the body handles it.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 3 Dec 2024). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Change in 6 Minute Walk Test at the End of Treatment Period (time frame: 12 weeks from baseline walk test). The study lists 2 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 NCT05096884, which also lists 4 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 Dec 2024.

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