Amantadine to Speed Awakening After Cardiac Arrest (AWAKE)

Jon Rittenberger, MD

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 2

Conditions

Heart Arrest

Coma

Anoxia

Treatments

Drug: Amantadine

Drug: Placebo

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02486211

15GRNT25680021

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates if amantadine will increase the rate of awakening in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest but comatose (not following commands) after their resuscitation. Half of the participants will receive amantadine and the other will receive placebo.

Full description

Amantadine has been used to help patients awaken following traumatic brain injury, but it has not been studied in patients with anoxic brain injury.

Amantadine is a dopamine agonist and may help with stimulating the brain to awaken. The investigators will randomize subjects who remain comatose 72 hours following resuscitation from cardiac arrest to either amantadine or placebo. They will be treated with either amantadine or placebo for 7 days.

Enrollment

14 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Non traumatic cardiac arrest
Age 18 and older
Defibrillation and/or chest compressions by healthcare providers
Return of spontaneous circulation

Exclusion criteria

Written do not attempt resuscitation (DNAR) reported to providers before randomization
Known prisoner or pregnancy
Lack of motor response to pain and absent N20 response on somatosensory evoked potentials prior to randomization
Initial CT demonstrating brain edema (defined as grey white ratio <1.2)
Presence of malignant pattern on EEG at time of randomization
Next of kin unwilling to provide supportive care for at least one week after enrollment
Presently using other dopaminergic agent