CAlcium and VAsopressin Following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) Trial

Jason Sperry

Status and phase: Enrolling; Phase 2

Conditions: Hemorrhage; Trauma

Treatments: Drug: Calcium Gluconate; Drug: Vasopressin; Drug: saline placebo

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT05958342

W81XWH-6-D-0024 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

STUDY23040043

Details and patient eligibility

About

The CAlcium and VAsopressin following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) Trial is a proposed 4 year, double-blind, mutli-center, prehospital and early in hospital phase randomized trial designed to determine the efficacy and safety of prehospital calcium and early in hospital vasopressin in patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock.

Full description

Resuscitation strategies for the acutely injured patient in hemorrhagic shock have evolved. Patients benefit from receiving less crystalloid in favor of blood transfusions with balanced ratios of plasma and platelets or whole blood resuscitation. These resuscitation practices are termed Damage Control Resuscitation and have been incorporated into resuscitation protocols in Level I trauma centers across the country. Damage Control Resuscitation represents standard practice for military and civilian trauma. Despite these changes, deaths from traumatic hemorrhage continue to occur in the first hours following trauma center arrival, underscoring the importance of early, novel interventions.

Hypocalcemia following traumatic injury is exceedingly common following severe traumatic injury in patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock. During hemorrhagic shock resuscitation, pathways reliant upon calcium such as platelet function, intrinsic and extrinsic hemostasis, and cardiac contractility are disrupted. Citrate containing transfusion products are known to further reduce calcium levels through chelation during trauma resuscitation. Hypocalcemia has consistently been shown to be independently associated with the risk of large volume blood transfusion and mortality. Current management practices include calcium replacement during the in hospital phase of care in patients receiving blood products. Early calcium replacement in patients at risk of hemorrhage and hypocalcemia may mitigate coagulopathy, maintain hemostasis, improve hemodynamics and outcomes, and may reduce complications attributable to hemorrhagic shock.

Arginine vasopressin is a physiologic hormone released by the posterior pituitary in response to hypotension and is commonly used as a vasopressor for critically ill patients for the treatment of hypotension due to multiple causes including sepsis. Prolonged hemorrhagic shock has the potential to alter systemic vasomotor tone which can progress to refractory/recalcitrant hypotension. Patients receiving resuscitation for hemorrhage are at risk of vasopressin deficiency. Vasopressin may improve hemostasis by enhancing platelet function and augmenting clot formation. Vasopressin infusion soon after injury in patients in hemorrhagic shock has been demonstrated to be safe and result in a reduction in blood transfusion requirements and a lower incidence of deep venous thrombosis.

Whole blood, red cells, and blood components are a precious and limited resource. Trauma resuscitation adjuncts such as early calcium and vasopressin may provide benefit when transfusion products are limited and may provide additional benefit even when transfusion capabilities remain robust. Due to their action on coagulation and hemodynamic cascades in the injured patient, these resuscitation adjuncts have the potential to interact and provide additive benefit to the injured patient. However, safety and efficacy of prehospital calcium and early in hospital vasopressin remain inadequately characterized. Enrolled patients may participate in the prehospital phase (calcium), in-hospital phase (vasopressin), or both. The aims of the CAlcium and VAsopressin following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) trial are to determine the efficacy and safety of prehospital calcium supplementation and early in hospital vasopressin infusion as compared to standard care resuscitation in patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock and to appropriately characterize any additive effect of both resuscitation adjunct interventions.

Enrollment: 1,050 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Prehospital Phase:

Injured patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock being transported from scene or referral hospital to a participating CAVALIER trial site who meet the following criteria:

1A. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 90mmHg and tachycardia (HR ≥ 108) at scene, at outside hospital, or during anticipated transport to a participating CAVALIER trial site

OR

1B. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 70mmHg at scene, at outside hospital, or during anticipated transport to a participating CAVALIER trial site

Early In-Hospital Phase:

Injured patients at a participating CAVALIER trial site at risk of hemorrhagic shock who meet the following criteria:

1A. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 90mmHg and tachycardia (HR ≥ 108) at scene, at outside hospital, during transport, or in emergency department of a participating CAVALIER trial site

OR

1B. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 70mmHg at scene, at outside hospital, during transport, or in emergency department of a participating CAVALIER trial site

AND

2.Blood/blood component transfusion initiated in prehospital setting or deemed clinically indicated within 60 minutes of arrival at the enrolling trauma center

AND 3. Clinical team deems Operating Room for major hemorrhage control procedure (e.g., laparotomy, thoracotomy, vascular exploration or extremity amputation) indicated within 60 minutes of arrival at the enrolling trauma center

AND

4. Anticipated admission to intensive care unit (ICU)

Exclusion criteria

Prehospital Phase

1. Wearing NO CAVALIER opt-out bracelet
2. Age > 90 or < 18 years of age
3. Isolated fall from standing injury mechanism
4. Known prisoner
5. Known pregnancy
6. Traumatic arrest with > 5 minutes of CPR without return of vital signs
7. Brain matter exposed or penetrating brain injury
8. Isolated drowning or hanging victims
9. Objection to study voiced by subject or family member at the scene or at the trauma center
10. Inability to obtain IV/IO access

Early In-Hospital Phase:

1. Wearing NO CAVALIER opt-out bracelet
2. Age > 90 or < 18 years of age
3. Isolated fall from standing injury mechanism
4. Known prisoner
5. Known pregnancy
6. Traumatic arrest with > 5 minutes of CPR without return of vital signs
7. Brain matter exposed or penetrating brain injury
8. Isolated drowning or hanging victims
9. Objection to study voiced by subject or family member at the scene or at the trauma center
10. Inability to obtain IV access

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Sequential Assignment

Masking: Quadruple Blind

---

1,050 participants in 4 patient groups, including a placebo group

Prehospital Intervention Arm

Experimental group

Description:

1 gram calcium gluconate provided via intravenous or intraosseous access over approximately 2-5 minutes, initiated prior to trauma bay arrival and infused to completion following arrival if needed

Treatment:

Drug: Calcium Gluconate

Prehospital Control Arm

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Identical volume saline placebo to prehospital intervention arm provided via intravenous or intraosseous access over approximately 2-5 minutes, initiated prior to trauma bay arrival and infused to completion following arrival if needed

Treatment:

Drug: saline placebo

Early In-Hospital Intervention Arm

Experimental group

Description:

4 unit vasopressin bolus followed by a vasopressin infusion at 0.04 U/min for eight hours, initiated within approximately two hours of enrollment

Treatment:

Drug: Vasopressin

Early In-Hospital Control Arm

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

volume matched saline bolus followed by volume matched normal saline placebo infusion for eight hours initiated within approximately two hours of enrollment

Treatment:

Drug: saline placebo