HAT for the Treatment of Sepsis Associated With NASTI

Phase 1

Terminated

Conditions: Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection
Sepsis

Interventions: Drug: HAT
Drug: Placebo

Registration Number: NCT05157360

Lead Sponsor: Ascension Via Christi Hospitals Wichita, Inc.

Brief Summary: Evaluate the impact of HAT therapy versus placebo in the treatment of patients with an acute NSTI and sepsis.

Detailed Description: Primary outcome:

1. Hospital survival

Secondary outcomes:

1. Duration of vasopressor therapy

2. Requirement for renal replacement therapy in patients with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

3. ICU length of stay (LOS)

4. Change in serum procalcitonin (PCT) over first 72 hours

5. Change in SOFA score over first 72 hours (measured as SOFA score daily for four days, with day one being admission, then 3 days after, totaling 4 days of treatment with HAT)

6. Procalcitonin clearance (formula = initial PCT - 72 hour PCT divided by initial PCT x 100)

7. Number of wound related surgeries

8. Wound status at time of hospital discharge:

1. Open

2. Closed

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: TERMINATED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 10

Inclusion Criteria

Necrotizing soft tissue infection by clinical diagnosis and requiring surgical treatment.
Sepsis by clinical diagnosis and/or by Sepsis-3 criteria15, with source attributed to the wound.
Anticipated or confirmed intensive care unit

Exclusion Criteria

(Adapted from Sevransky et. al's VICTAS protocol)

Age < 18 years of age
Weight < 40 kg
Prior enrollment in this study or current enrollment in another study of any kind
Surgical findings, pathology/histology findings, or other findings determined to be inconsistent with an infectious acute NSTI such that the clinical diagnosis is no longer that of a NSTI
Sepsis deemed unlikely
Limitations of care during enrollment [defined as refusal of cardiovascular and respiratory support modes described in inclusion criteria, including "do not intubate" (DNI) status and comfort care]
Known allergy or known contraindication to vitamin C, thiamine, or corticosteroids [including previous history or active diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria and/or oxalate nephropathy, or known/suspected ethylene glycol ingestion, or known glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency]
Use of vitamin C at a dose of >1g/day (IV or oral) within the 24 hours preceding first episode of qualifying organ dysfunction during a given Emergency Department or Intensive Care Unit admission
Chronic disease/illness that, in the opinion of the site investigator, have an expected lifespan of < 30 days unrelated to current sepsis diagnosis (e.g., stage IV malignancy, neurodegenerative disease, etc.)
Kidney Stone(s) of any kind
History of Oxalate Kidney Stone(s)
Pregnancy or known active breastfeeding
Prisoner or Incarceration
Inability or unwillingness of subject or legal surrogate/representative to give written informed consent

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment Arm	HAT	Patients will be enrolled within 24 hours of diagnosis of sepsis related to a necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTI). HAT will be initiated within 4 hours of enrollment (thus treatment with HAT can occur no later than 28 hours from diagnosis). Per Dr. Marik's original study, HAT consists of: 1. 1.5 g vitamin C every 6 hours for 4 days or until ICU discharge 2. 50 mg hydrocortisone every 6 hours for 7 days or until ICU discharge (followed by a taper over 3 days) 3. 200 mg thiamine every 12 hours for 4 days or until ICU discharge In our study, due to the prolonged ICU course typical of most patients with NSTIs, it is not felt feasible to continue indefinitely "until ICU discharge." Thus, treatment will be continued for 4 to 7 days plus a 3 day taper (respectively) as above, with no plan for a longer duration of treatment.
Control Arm	Placebo	The control arm will receive the same standard ICU care for NSTI but will not receive HAT. They will receive a placebo consisting of normal saline, indistinguishable to the treatment team (blinded) but known to the pharmacy team (unblinded to treatment and placebo groups). This is so that if the treatment team elects to give stress dose steroids, they can be administered without breaking protocol (i.e. if the patient is getting HAT, it includes steroids, so if the treating team wanted to start hydrocortisone - because they didn't know if the patient was on HAT or placebo and felt steroids were indicated - the pharmacist could ensure the patient was on steroids one way or another without unblinding the providers).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Hospital Survival	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	Hospital survival is a binary variable showing whether the patient survived their time in the hospital. Hospital survival will be assessed from date of randomization until the date of discharge or date of death from any cause, whichever comes first, assessed up to 24 months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Duration of Vasopressor Therapy	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	The duration of vasopressor therapy is measured after date of randomization in hours and minutes from the initiation of vasopressor therapy until the termination of vasopressor therapy.
Requirement for Renal Replacement Therapy in Patients With Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	This is a binary variable the will record whether the patient did or did not have a requirement for renal replacement therapy in patients with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI).
ICU Length of Stay (LOS)	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	ICU LOS will be measured by the date and time the patient was admitted to the ICU and by the date and time the patient was discharged from the ICU.
Change in Serum Procalcitonin (PCT) Over First 72 Hours	Over the first 72 hours from admission.	This is a binary variable that will show whether there was a decrease in serum procalcitonin (PCT) over first 72 hours.
Change in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score Over First 72 Hours (Measured as SOFA Score Daily for Four Days, With Day One Being Admission, Then 3 Days After, Totaling 4 Days of Treatment With HAT)	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	This is a binary variable that will shows whether there was a decrease in SOFA score over the first 72 hours (measured as SOFA score daily for four days, with day one being admission, then 3 days after, totaling 4 days of treatment with HAT).
Procalcitonin Clearance	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	Procalcitonin clearance (formula = initial PCT - 72 hour PCT divided by initial PCT x 100). The reported measure is median and range for those patients that
Number of Wound Related Surgeries	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	This is a variable that will show the count of wound related surgeries during the time the patient is admitted to the hospital.
Wound Status at Time of Hospital Discharge: Open	Outcome is measured from date of admission to date of discharge or date of death, whichever comes first, approximately 7 to 10 days.	This shows the number of participants with an open wound at time of hospital discharge.