Safety Study of Octreotide Injection to Prevent GI Bleeding in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2014-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The investigators hypothesize that octreotide LAR (Long Acting Release) safely decreases GI
bleeding in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Patients undergoing
implantation of non-pulsatile, continuous-flow LVAD have a higher incidence of
gastrointestinal bleeding. This is a significantly associated morbidity and can threaten a
patient's life as well as their ability to undergo eventual heart transplantation secondary
to both general health/strength and the potential development of antibodies to blood products
that would make future transfusions and transplantations more difficult.
If this research finds that use of octreotide LAR can decrease the incidence of
gastrointestinal bleeding in this patient population, it will revolutionize the manner in
which these patients are managed. The finding of reduced GI bleeding would allow the patient
to have less exposure to blood products, reduce hospitalizations, and ensure that subsequent
transplant planning not be delayed. This would not only be of great benefit to the patient,
but would significantly decrease health-care costs through preventive measures.
The goal of this project is to study whether the regular administration of monthly octreotide
LAR is safe and if it will decrease the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients
undergoing implantation of non-pulsatile, continuous flow left ventricular assist devices
(LVAD).