MedPath

Administration of Probiotics in Cirrhotic Patients Listed for Liver Transplantation

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Liver Cirrhosis
Registration Number
NCT01735591
Lead Sponsor
Medical University of Warsaw
Brief Summary

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the administration of probiotics on outcomes of patients qualified for liver transplantation, both in the pre-transplant period and in the early postoperative period.

Detailed Description

Gut microflora plays an important role in the pathogenesis of complications of liver cirrhosis, mainly due to microbial translocation. According to several studies, administration of probiotics in patients with cirrhosis has positive effect on minimal hepatic encephalopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of probiotics administration on outcomes of patients qualified for liver transplantation, both in the pre-transplant period and in the early postoperative period. This study will be performed on 200 patients randomized into the probiotic and placebo groups. Daily administration of either probiotics or placebo will be continued from the date of inclusion in the study until the date of liver transplantation. A quantitative and qualitative analyses of faecal microflora will be performed in each patient before and after 10 week period (or shorter, depending on the time on the waiting list) of administration of either probiotic or placebo. Microbiological analyses of air samples from patients' home environment will be performed in each case. Both groups of patients will be compared with respect to primary and secondary outcome measures.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
55
Inclusion Criteria
  • Liver cirrhosis
  • Active status on the waiting list for liver transplantation
  • Confirmed etiology of liver disease
Exclusion Criteria
  • Malignancy
  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection
  • Immunosuppressive treatment prior to liver transplantation
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Creatinine clearance rate < 50 mL/min

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Postoperative infection30 days from the date of liver transplantation
All-cause postoperative mortality90 days after the date of liver transplantation
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Serum bilirubin concentration in the first 5 postoperative days5 days after the date of liver transplantation
Change in model for end-stage liver disease score in the pre-transplantation period10 weeks

To be assessed if the period between inclusion in the study and liver transplantation would not be shorter than 10 weeks

Changes in Child-Turcotte-Pugh classFrom the date of inclusion until the date of transplantation
Number of hospital admissions due to infections in the pre-transplantation periodFrom the date of inclusion until the date of transplantation
Primary non-function after liver transplantation14 days after the date of liver transplantation
Changes in model for end-stage liver disease scoreFrom the date of inclusion until the date of transplantation
Number of hospital admission due to complications of liver cirrhosis in the pre-transplantation periodFrom the date of inclusion until the date of transplantation
Mortality on the waiting listFrom the date of inclusion until the date of liver transplantation
Infections in the pre-transplantation periodFrom the date of inclusion until the date of transplantation
Serum activity of transaminases on the first 5 postoperative days5 days after the date of liver transplantation
International normalized ratio values during the first 5 postoperative days5 days after the date of liver transplantation
Change in Chil-Turcotte-Pugh class in the pre-transplantation period10 weeks

To be assessed if the period between inclusion in the study and liver transplantation would not be shorter than 10 weeks

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw

🇵🇱

Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland

Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw
🇵🇱Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland

MedPath

Empowering clinical research with data-driven insights and AI-powered tools.

© 2025 MedPath, Inc. All rights reserved.