Active clinical trials for "Pancreatitis"

An open label pilot study will determine the effect of the amino acid nutritional supplement acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) on pain, quality of life, well-being, and serum pro-inflammatory mediator and oxidative stress levels in volunteers with chronic pancreatitis. The ALC is given to all participants for 3 months, and assessments will occur at intake and after 3 months.

The purpose of this research study is to learn about the activity of oral Pancrecarb® (a pancreatic enzyme preparation which contains proteins that help to digest food), administered by mouth as a capsule filled with specially coated granules in patients taking exogenous pancreatic enzyme therapy. Specific enzymes activities will be determined from samples of stomach and intestinal fluids after a standard liquid meal.

The purpose of this study is to determine if celiac bloc (with injection of steroid and local anesthetic) is superior to a sham procedure for pain control and quality of life improvement in patient with chronic pancreatitis and abdominal pain.

The aim is to evaluate EUS-FNA efficacy for AIP diagnosis using a 22-gauge (G) needle.

Background: Pancreatitis is the most frequent complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), accounting for substantial morbidity, occasional mortality, and increased health care expenditures. Until recently, the only effective method of preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) had been prophylactic pancreatic stent placement (PSP), an intervention that is costly, time consuming, technically challenging, and potentially dangerous. The investigators recently reported the results of a large randomized controlled trial demonstrating that rectal indomethacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, reduced the risk of pancreatitis after ERCP in high-risk patients, most of whom (>80%) had received a pancreatic stent. Secondary analysis of this RCT suggested that subjects who received indomethacin alone were less likely to develop PEP than those who received a pancreatic stent alone or the combination of indomethacin and stent, even after adjusting for underlying differences in subject risk. If indomethacin were to obviate the need for PSP, major clinical and cost benefits in ERCP practice could be realized. Objective: To assess whether rectal indomethacin alone is non-inferior to the combination of rectal indomethacin and prophylactic pancreatic stent placement for preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis in high-risk cases. Methods: Comparative effectiveness multi-center non-inferiority trial of rectal indomethacin alone vs. the combination of rectal indomethacin and prophylactic pancreatic stent placement for the prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis in high-risk patients. One thousand four hundred and thirty subjects at elevated risk for PEP who would normally receive a pancreatic stent for prophylaxis will be randomized to indomethacin alone or the combination of indomethacin and PSP. The proportion of patients developing PEP and moderate-severe PEP will be compared. In addition, the investigators will establish a quality-assured central repository of biological specimens obtained from study participants, permitting future translational research elucidating the molecular and genetic mechanisms of PEP, as well as the mechanisms by which non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs prevent this complication.

Azathioprine (AZA) and its metabolite 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) were developed over 50 years ago by Gertrude Elion and George Hitchings and were initially used clinically in the management of childhood leukemia and organ transplantation. The first case report of 6-MP use in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was from 1962 , and since then the use of thiopurines has been well established in the management of moderate to severe IBD. Thiopurines offer an inexpensive and effective treatment option for maintenance of remission of IBD in comparison to biological agents which may be 30 times more expensive . Although 50-60% of IBD patients respond to thiopurines, a significant proportion of patients will not tolerate them due to various adverse effects . The adverse effects of thiopurines may be dose related, patient related or idiosyncratic. The immunosuppressive effects of thiopurines also increase the rates of opportunistic infections. Thiopurines are also associated with a higher rate of malignancies, particularly a malignant Burkitt-like lymphoma, related to Epstein-Barr virus infection . Other adverse effects of thiopurine relate to allergic phenomenon. An idiosyncratic adverse effect of thiopurine use is acute pancreatitis (AP). Acute inflammation of the pancreas defined by INSPPIRE criteria: requiring 2 of: Abdominal pain compatible with AP Serum amylase and/or lipase ≥ 3 times upper limits of normal Imaging findings of AP Drug induced AP is the assumed diagnosis when no other cause of AP can be found, the patient is taking a drug known to be associated with AP, and symptoms resolve after drug discontinuation. If pancreatitis re-occurs on re-exposure, the drug is definitely considered the cause. While drugs are considered a rare cause of AP and most cases are mild and self limited , there is an 8 fold higher risk of AP in IBD patients treated with AZA . Thiopurine induced AP is usually detected within 4 weeks of starting treatment. However in the case of thiopurine induced AP, there has been no clear understanding of the mechanism. Thiopurine induced AP is generally considered an indication to cease thiopurine therapy, due to the assumed risk of recurrence of AP on reintroduction. There exists several case reports and anecdotal evidence that reintroducing thiopurines following an assumed thiopurine associated AP can be well tolerated. The investigators hypothesize that AZA and/or 6-MP can be safely reintroduced in the management of IBD patients following thiopurine-induced pancreatitis. If in the past the patients were treated with AZA, they will now be commenced on 6-MP, and if in the past they were treated with 6-MP, they will be commenced on AZA.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a commonly performed endoscopic procedure used to treat pancreato-biliary pathology. Acute pancreatitis or post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), is the most common major complication of ERCP, which is reported to occur in 2-10% of patients overall (ranging from 2-4% in low risk patients up to 8-40% in high-risk patients). Hydration is a mainstay of treatment for acute pancreatitis, independent of etiology. Aggressive hydration has also been shown to decrease incidence of PEP. Rectal NSAIDs, including Indomethacin, has a proven role in prevention of PEP. Though both aggressive hydration and rectal indomethacin are efficacious in preventing PEP, there is no head to head trial comparing the efficacy of these two therapeutic modalities. Thus, the aim is to determine whether aggressive intravenous peri-procedural hydration or high dose rectal indomethacin immediately after ERCP decrease the incidence of PEP. The investigator's hypothesis is that prophylactic treatment with aggressive intravenous hydration is not inferior to rectal indomethacin in preventing PEP.

Post-ERCP pancreatitis is one of the most common complications accounting for substantial morbidity and mortality. The incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) has been studied in several large clinical trials and ranges from 1.6-15%. However most studies have demonstrated rates around 5%. This complication alone is estimated to cost the US healthcare around $150 million annually. To prevent this complication several pharmacological agents have been studied and no medication has been proved to be consistently effective in preventing this complications. Cyclo-oxygenase, and phospholipase A2 pathways are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis and so non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been extensively studied in the prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis. One of the landmark studies done on prophylactic NSAIDs for PEP showed that rectal indomethacin significantly reduce the incidence of PEP (PEP developed in 9.2% vs. 16.9% of indomethacin and placebo groups respectively). Since then the use of rectal NSAIDs has become a standard chemo-prophylaxis for prevention of PEP especially in high risk patients. However, newly published meta-analysis showed that the role of peri-procedural rectal Indomethacin is doubtful in patients with average risk for PEP. In this prospective randomized clinical study, we propose to study the effects of supplemental peri-operative oxygen on the incidence of PEP. The effects of high oxygen fraction (FIO2) has extensively been studied in reducing the incidence of surgical site infection, postoperative nausea, vomiting and to prevent postoperative atelectasis. Changing the FIO2 during a procedure can be a simple, inexpensive and low risk intervention to prevent post-procedure complications.

Background: Acute pancreatitis is characterized by a high mortality rate (10%-15%), and a remarkably unpredictable clinical course. Approximately 50% of deaths in acute pancreatitis occur early-within the first 14 days-and early mortality is attributable to sequelae of a severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which is associated with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) that can escalate to renal failure, respiratory failure, and death. Significant improvements in acute pancreatitis mortality will demand innovative approaches to counteract early organ failure. A series of destructive cellular processes begins within minutes of initial pancreatic injury, and the ensuing inflammatory cascade is compounded by disease sequelae including edema, ischemia, and tissue necrosis. Early interventions to reduce inflammation within the first 36 hours have been shown to have significant effects in minimizing progressive organ dysfunction. Hypothermia is clinically employed to combat cellular injury and systemic responses following ischemia-reperfusion, and is been studied as a mechanism of acute inflammatory inhibition in processes including cardiogenic shock, lung injury, local intestinal injury, and reperfusion injuries to the lung, liver, and endothelium. In numerous studies, effective immunomodulations have been observed including reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), stimulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10), inhibition of pro-apoptotic JNK signaling, reduction of systemic oxidative stress, and inhibition of neutrophils, monocytes, and monocyte-derived macrophages. Most saliently, in the caerulein model of murine acute pancreatitis, therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to reduce serum IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α, increased serum IL-10, decrease serum amylase and lipase, lower the histological grade of pancreatic injury as compared to normothermic mice, and significant survival benefit. Although therapeutic hypothermia is actively employed in the treatment of traumatic brain injury, neonatal asphyxia, spinal cord injury, and cardiac arrest, no studies have yet been made of its application to acute pancreatitis. Hypothesis: Patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia (32-34°C) will sustain reduced organ-specific injury in acute pancreatitis. Proposal: In a Phase IIa pilot clinical trial, we will examine the effects of therapeutic hypothermia on organ-specific outcomes during the early stage of acute pancreatitis. We will recruit five patients aged 18 to 80 receiving medically-necessitated ventilator support under ICU monitoring with core temperatures ≥36°C and severe acute pancreatitis defined as either a Ranson Score ≥7, a CT indicating ≥50% pancreatic necrosis, or a significant deterioration in clinical status including dysfunction of two or more organ systems (defined by ACCP/SCCM Organ Failure Guidelines, Chest 2009). All patients will receive current standard management for severe acute pancreatitis and a standardized protocol for application of therapeutic hypothermia and rewarming. Our primary endpoints are organ-specific cardiovascular, respiratory, hematological, renal, and metabolic dysfunction as measured at 28 days. Logistic Organ Dysfunction Scores (LOD) will be compared before and after therapeutic hypothermia, establishing day 4 versus day 1 changes in LOD. Secondary endpoints include D-dimer, IL-6, C-reactive protein, APACHE II scores on day 1 and day 4, inpatient and ICU length-of-stay, infection, mortality, and hypothermia-associated side effects including cardiac arrhythmia, electrolyte imbalance, hyperglycemia, major bleeding, and acute pancreatitis. We believe that such a study will supply preliminary answers to our chief research questions: does therapeutic hypothermia reduce morbidity as assessed by organ-specific outcomes, does therapeutic hypothermia attenuate the steep rise in inflammation observed in severe acute pancreatitis, and does therapeutic hypothermia shorten the clinical course for these patients.

ERCP is a commonly performed endoscopic procedure used to treat stones and blockages of the bile duct as well as to manage leaks which occurs following laparoscopic gallbladder removal. Post ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) complicates 5-15% of biliary endoscopic procedures and results in considerable suffering and cost. Patients with acute pancreatitis are treated with fluids. Our aim is to assess whether prophylactic treatment with aggressive intravenous hydration prevents ERCP pancreatitis. In a blinded fashion patients will be randomized to aggressive intravenous versus moderate hydration during and aftere ERCP for standard clinical indications. Our hypothesis is that prophylactic treatment with aggressive intravenous hydration protects against ERCP pancreatitis.