Clinical Trial: Intravenous Heparin as an Adjunct for the Treatment of Anaphylactic Reactions in an Emergency Department
Study Status: Withdrawn
Recruit Status: Withdrawn
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Intravenous Heparin as an Adjunct for the Treatment of Anaphylactic/Anaphylactoid Reactions in the Emergency Department
Brief Summary: To determine if intravenous unfractionated heparin (with standard therapy) for treatment of anaphylaxis results in faster time to recovery.
Detailed Summary: Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening entity that requires both immediate recognition and aggressive treatment. Although anaphylaxis is infrequent, comprising only 1% of approximately 1.03 million visits to the ED each year that are related to allergic reactions, it is none the less a generally under-recognized and under-treated disease, that is worthy of study due to the potential for a fatal outcome. Recently, there has been renewed interest in a commonly used and inexpensive drug (heparin) as a novel component of therapy for anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions. Heflin eft al. induced anaphylactoid reactions in pigs and compared intravenous unfractionated heparin in one treatment arm to standard therapy (intravenous epinephrine and diphenhydramine) versus placebo. The study revealed that heparin rapidly reversed the shock similar to that of standard emergency treatment. Of course this single study done in pigs will not change practice, but it does warrant further investigation into the role that heparin plays in anaphylaxis in humans.
Sponsor: University of Missouri, Kansas City
Current Primary Outcome: Time to improve to a severity score of 1 or complete resolution of signs/symptoms. [ Time Frame: 6 hours ]
Original Primary Outcome: Same as current
Current Secondary Outcome:
Original Secondary Outcome:
Information By: University of Missouri, Kansas City
Dates:
Date Received: April 9, 2008
Date Started: December 2009
Date Completion: December 2010
Last Updated: January 5, 2017
Last Verified: January 2017
