Presepsin to Safely Reduce Antibiotics in Preterm Infants: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Diagnostic test
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

In the Netherlands, more than 85% of the preterm infants born \<32 weeks gestational age get antibiotics directly after birth because of the risk of infection with a bacteria. However, only 1 in 70 of these preterm babies actually has a bacterial infection. The use of antibiotics after birth can lead to problems on short term (bowel infection, infection with a bacteria later on or death) or long term (asthma, allergy, obesity). The goal of the PRESAFE trial is to investigate whether addition of a biomarker (presepsin) to the Dutch early-onset neonatal sepsis (EOS) guideline safely reduces unnecessary empirical antibiotic exposure after birth in preterm infants born before 32 weeks gestational age. In this 874-subject multicenter, randomized clinical trial with a concurrent observational cohort, the hypothesis to be tested is that by adding presepsin to the national guideline the amount of unnecessary empirical antibiotic exposure after birth will be reduced with at least 30% without increase in infants with untreated sepsis. The study targets a population of clinical stable very preterm infants with risk factors for eary-onset neonatal sepsis. Antibiotic administration after birth is started to pre-emptively treat EOS. By adding a presepsin-guided step to the Dutch EOS guideline for those infants qualifying for antibiotic treatment, it is assumed that the rate of antibiotic administration can be reduced. However, it is imperative that this reduction in antibiotics is not outweighed by an increase in (culture proven) EOS. Therefore, the co-primary outcomes of the study are: 1) the incidence of culture-proven EOS (non-inferiority) and 2) unnecessary antibiotics prescription i.e. antibiotic administration for ≤ 3 days when started within the first 72 hours after birth (superiority). Secondary outcomes include sepsis-related severity of illness, total number of antibiotic days when started \< 72 hours after birth, and the composite outcome of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), late-onset sepsis (LOS), or death until discharge from the initial hospital.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Infants born at a gestational age of 24+0 to 31 6/7 weeks

• Moderate risk of early-onset neonatal sepsis, i.e. infants who should be treated with empirical antibiotics based on the Dutch EOS guideline.

Locations
Other Locations
Netherlands
Amsterdam UMC
RECRUITING
Amsterdam
Contact Information
Primary
Douwe Visser, MD PhD
d.h.visser@amsterdamumc.nl
+31205669111
Backup
Charlotte Nusman, MD PhD
c.m.nusman@amsterdamumc.nl
+31205669111
Time Frame
Start Date: 2024-09-23
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-01-01
Participants
Target number of participants: 900
Treatments
Experimental: Presepsin-guided therapy
The decision to start empirical antibiotics in this group will be based on presepsin measurement within four hours after birth. When the presepsin value is above the cut-off value of 645 pg/ml, antibiotics will be ordered and administered within 4 hours of life and discontinued following the criteria of the Dutch EOS guideline. When the presepsin level is below the cut-off value of 645 pg/ml, the treating physician will not start antibiotic treatment. These infants will be closely observed for at least 72 hours. In case of deterioration of the clinical condition within this observation period, the clinician can decide to perform a sepsis evaluation and start with antibiotic treatment.
Active_comparator: Standard care
Standard care according to the Dutch EOS guideline. Presepsin will be determined with the treating physician blinded for the test result. In the Dutch EOS guideline maternal and neonatal risk factors for EOS are categorized as red flags or minor criteria. In the presence of 1 red flag or ≥ 2 minor criteria it is advised to perform a blood culture (= sepsis evaluation) and start empirical antibiotics for EOS suspicion. Antibiotic treatment will be advised to discontinue when blood culture turns back negative, reassuring the infants clinical condition with no other indicators of possible infection (e.g. CRP).
Sponsors
Leads: Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov