Controlled CO2 Inhalation in NOH (CO2-nOH)

University of Calgary

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension

Treatments: Device: Controlled CO2 delivery (Sham); Other: Controlled CO2 delivery

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06751888

REB24-1780

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study focuses on neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH), which is a disorder characterized by an abnormal drop in blood pressure (BP) within 3-minutes of standing. Patients with nOH experience debilitating symptoms including light-headedness, falls, and fainting. Patients often struggle with day-to-day tasks that require standing, with a reduced quality-of-life. Current therapies for nOH have limited effectiveness and unwanted side effects. Our lab has found that raising blood CO2 levels (hypercapnia) in the lab increases BP when standing in patients with nOH. We now aim to test the CarboHaler, an exogenous controlled CO2 delivery device, in this study to see if increasing CO2 levels through controlled CO2 inhalation can improve BP and reduce symptoms in patients with nOH when standing up. On the study day, participants will undergo two Head-up Tilt (HUT; upright) tests with different breathing protocols: one with and one without exogenous CO2 delivery provided by a CO2 inhalational device. We will record heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing parameters. We will also assess upright symptoms using the Vanderbilt Orthostatic Symptoms Score. Our primary outcome is the magnitude of the change in systolic BP from lying down to standing, which will be compared with and without exogenous CO2 delivery. We hypothesize that exogenous CO2 delivery provided by a CO2 inhalational device will raise CO2 enough to increase standing BP, which could reduce the debilitating symptoms experienced by patients with nOH. We hope that these data will support future clinical trials, with the long-term goal of creating a simple, low-cost treatment for increasing quality-of-life for patients with nOH.

Enrollment: 28 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥18 years
• Male and Female
• Physician diagnosis of Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension
• Non-smokers.
• Able and willing to provide informed consent.
• Ability to travel to Libin Cardiovascular Institute Autonomic Testing Lab at the University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant or breast-feeding females
• Subjects with chronic heart failure or severe pulmonary disease who are unable to climb one flight of stairs due to shortness of breath.
• Presence of failure of other organ systems or systemic illness that can affect autonomic function or the participant's ability to cooperate. These include dementia, alcohol and/or drug abuse.
• Other factors which in the investigator's opinion would prevent the participant from completing the protocol, including poor compliance during previous studies.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

28 participants in 2 patient groups

0% CO2 Arm

Sham Comparator group

Description:

In this arm, participants will breathe with the CO2 delivery device providing no exogenous CO2 while supine and during a 10-min HUT test.

Treatment:

Device: Controlled CO2 delivery (Sham)

Controlled CO2 Inhalation Arm

Experimental group

Description:

In this arm, participants will breathe with the CO2 delivery device in the supine position until BP levels increase. Once a BP increase is observed, participants will be tilted upright and will continue to breathe with the inhalation device during a 10-min HUT test.

Treatment:

Other: Controlled CO2 delivery