Clinical Research Directory

Transnasal Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block for Treatment of Acute Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Associated Headache

The study titled \"Transnasal sphenopalatine ganglion block for treatment of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage associated headache\" is a randomized controlled pilot study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a transnasal sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block in addition to standard pain medication for reducing headache severity in patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The study also examines whether this intervention can reduce opioid requirements during hospitalization and upon discharge.

Incidence, Characteristics and Evolution of Cerebral Vasospasm With Clinical Impact in Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Complicated by Subarachnoid Hemorrhage at Martinique University Hospital

Context : Moderate to severe head trauma with altered state of consciousness is an extremely common pathology (between 60 and 120 cases per 100 000 people per year depending on the country and age group), and is responsible for 30% of deaths by trauma. It is complicated in 30-60% of cases by subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), which makes it the leading cause of SAH. SAH and its complications are well described when the origin is aneurysmal, notably cerebral vasospasm (CV) because it promotes delayed cerebral ischemia with a major prognostic impact. This is why the screening and prevention of this vasospasm are well established in the literature and in practice, in the nosological context of aneurysmal SAH. Research problem : However, when it comes to post-traumatic SAH, CV is a more maligned entity, with a much less detailed description. However, when we know the prognostic interest that it could have for patients, it seems legitimate to seek to define its physiopathological and epidemiological contours. On a prospective cohort of 290 subjects, Oertel et al. (2005) demonstrated, in head trauma patients, an incidence of approximately 40% of compatible signs with the recognized criteria of CV. To date, the literature remains sparse on this subject. Proposed study : In view of the incomplete scientific literature, the study team wish to carry out a prospective epidemiological study in moderate to severe head trauma patients complicated by SAH and hospitalized at the Martinique University Hospital, with the aim of better characterizing the incidence of the occurrence, and evolution of CV with clinical impact in these patients. One of the original aspects of the proposed study is the use of CT scan with perfusion sequence, which has shown its superiority to Transcranial Doppler. The other particularity is its prospective aspect and triggered by an alteration in the clinical state of the patient presenting a traumatic SAH, then directly linking the pathophysiology (cerebral ischemia) and the clinical impact. Thus, the diagnosis of traumatic CV will be made on a cerebral CT scan by the association of the 50% reduction in the caliber of one or more cerebral arteries and a perfusion defect in the perfusion sequence in a context of alteration of neurological clinical examination or deterioration of neurological monitoring parameters. Finally, few studies have monitored the evolution of these patients at 1 and 6 months after the initial event. Hypothesis : The research hypothesis is that in the population of moderate to severe head trauma patients hospitalized at the Martinique University Hospital, when a new neurological symptomatology or a deterioration in the state of consciousness occurs, it could be a post-truamatic CV in 15 to 20% of cases. Indeed, the rare studies find frequencies of radiologically confirmed CV in head trauma patients of around 30-45%, with low numbers of subjects, retrospective studies, or not correlated with the clinic and with the clinical and paraclinical data necessary for the positive diagnosis of this entity. The reported frequency of traumatic CV with clinical impact ranges between 15-20%. The study team therefore expect an incidence of 15 to 20% of CV with clinical impact in patients with traumatic SAH in Martinique. CV could be responsible for sudden deterioration of the neurological state in patients suffering from traumatic SAH between the 3rd and 12th day inclusive of treatment (according to retrospective studies already carried out) and responsible for its specific morbidity linked to cerebral ischemia localized in the spasmed area manifested by a worsening of the neurological prognosis on the modified Rankin scale.

Efficacy of Daily IV Administration of Dornase Alfa Up to 14 Days Post Subarachnoid Hemorrhage on Functional Independence At 6 Months

Subarachnoid hemorrhage due to aneurysm rupture (SAH) results in high mortality, while survivors frequently suffer reduced quality of life and even loss of autonomy, particularly in the active population. A significant proportion of this morbidity and mortality is linked to the occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), defined as a new focal neurological deficit or reduced level of consciousness unrelated to the treatment of the aneurysm or a concomitant condition. DCI mainly occurs between days 4 and 14 after SAH, with an estimated incidence of 30%, and is significantly associated with an unfavorable functional prognosis at 3 months. Currently, the only treatment for post-SAH DCI is to prevent or reverse the onset of vasospasm, with limited efficacy, for example through nimodipine administration or hemodynamic optimization. However, according to existing data, vasospasm is not the only cause of DCI, as it may occur elsewhere than in the arterial territory affected by vasospasm, or even in the absence of any vasospasm at all. Recent reviews of the literature highlight the role of microvascular thrombo-inflammation in the pathophysiology of DCI. This phenomenon begins as soon as SAH occurs, with the appearance of multiple microvascular obstructions responsible for ischemia of downstream territories and loss of distal autoregulatory capacity. Among the effectors of thrombo-inflammation, the NETose phenomenon (production of NETs - Neutrophil Extracellular Traps or extracellular DNA network) has recently been associated with the onset of DCI. Indeed, the concentration of NETs increases in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood of SAH patients, and correlates with the severity of the hemorrhage. Furthermore, intravenous or intraperitoneal administration of DNAse in an animal model of SAH has been shown to reduce NET concentration and improve functional prognosis by acting directly on cerebral perfusion through the reduction of micro-thrombosis. In humans, recombinant DNAse (dornase alfa, Pulmozyme®) has marketing authorization for inhaled administration in cystic fibrosis. The toxicology report accompanying the marketing authorization demonstrates the absence of serious side effects following administration of high IV doses of Pulmozyme® in monkeys and rats. Other studies evaluating IV administration of bovine DNAse at high doses report no complications. In 1999, a study was published evaluating intravenous (IV) Pulmozyme® in lupus patients, reporting no serious adverse events (SAEs) among the 14 patients receiving the treatment. We are currently conducting a clinical trial of the same molecule in IV administration in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy and IV thrombolysis for ischemic stroke (NCT04785066). This study is the first randomized clinical trial to target NETs as effectors of the thrombo-inflammation responsible for post-HSA DCI.