Skip to content

CAlcium and VAsopressin Following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) Trial

CAlcium and VAsopressin Following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05958342
Acronym
CAVALIER
Enrollment
1050
Registered
2023-07-24
Start date
2024-06-30
Completion date
2028-03-01
Last updated
2026-03-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Trauma, Hemorrhage

Keywords

hemorrhagic shock, trauma, calcium gluconate, vasopressin

Brief summary

The CAlcium and VAsopressin following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) Trial is a proposed 4 year, double-blind, mutli-center, prehospital and early in hospital phase randomized trial designed to determine the efficacy and safety of prehospital calcium and early in hospital vasopressin in patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock.

Detailed description

Resuscitation strategies for the acutely injured patient in hemorrhagic shock have evolved. Patients benefit from receiving less crystalloid in favor of blood transfusions with balanced ratios of plasma and platelets or whole blood resuscitation. These resuscitation practices are termed Damage Control Resuscitation and have been incorporated into resuscitation protocols in Level I trauma centers across the country. Damage Control Resuscitation represents standard practice for military and civilian trauma. Despite these changes, deaths from traumatic hemorrhage continue to occur in the first hours following trauma center arrival, underscoring the importance of early, novel interventions. Hypocalcemia following traumatic injury is exceedingly common following severe traumatic injury in patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock. During hemorrhagic shock resuscitation, pathways reliant upon calcium such as platelet function, intrinsic and extrinsic hemostasis, and cardiac contractility are disrupted. Citrate containing transfusion products are known to further reduce calcium levels through chelation during trauma resuscitation. Hypocalcemia has consistently been shown to be independently associated with the risk of large volume blood transfusion and mortality. Current management practices include calcium replacement during the in hospital phase of care in patients receiving blood products. Early calcium replacement in patients at risk of hemorrhage and hypocalcemia may mitigate coagulopathy, maintain hemostasis, improve hemodynamics and outcomes, and may reduce complications attributable to hemorrhagic shock. Arginine vasopressin is a physiologic hormone released by the posterior pituitary in response to hypotension and is commonly used as a vasopressor for critically ill patients for the treatment of hypotension due to multiple causes including sepsis. Prolonged hemorrhagic shock has the potential to alter systemic vasomotor tone which can progress to refractory/recalcitrant hypotension. Patients receiving resuscitation for hemorrhage are at risk of vasopressin deficiency. Vasopressin may improve hemostasis by enhancing platelet function and augmenting clot formation. Vasopressin infusion soon after injury in patients in hemorrhagic shock has been demonstrated to be safe and result in a reduction in blood transfusion requirements and a lower incidence of deep venous thrombosis. Whole blood, red cells, and blood components are a precious and limited resource. Trauma resuscitation adjuncts such as early calcium and vasopressin may provide benefit when transfusion products are limited and may provide additional benefit even when transfusion capabilities remain robust. Due to their action on coagulation and hemodynamic cascades in the injured patient, these resuscitation adjuncts have the potential to interact and provide additive benefit to the injured patient. However, safety and efficacy of prehospital calcium and early in hospital vasopressin remain inadequately characterized. Enrolled patients may participate in the prehospital phase (calcium), in-hospital phase (vasopressin), or both. The aims of the CAlcium and VAsopressin following Injury Early Resuscitation (CAVALIER) trial are to determine the efficacy and safety of prehospital calcium supplementation and early in hospital vasopressin infusion as compared to standard care resuscitation in patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock and to appropriately characterize any additive effect of both resuscitation adjunct interventions.

Interventions

1 gram calcium gluconate provided via intravenous or intraosseous access over approximately 2-5 minutes

DRUGVasopressin

4 unit vasopressin bolus followed by vasopressin infusion at 0.04 U/min for eight hours

DRUGsaline placebo

saline placebo volume matched to prehospital or in hospital phase

Sponsors

Jason Sperry
Lead SponsorOTHER
United States Department of Defense
CollaboratorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Intervention model description

In-Hospital phase: permuted block design

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Prehospital Phase: Injured patients at risk of hemorrhagic shock being transported from scene or referral hospital to a participating CAVALIER trial site who meet the following criteria: 1A. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 90mmHg and tachycardia (HR ≥ 108) at scene, at outside hospital, or during anticipated transport to a participating CAVALIER trial site OR 1B. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 70mmHg at scene, at outside hospital, or during anticipated transport to a participating CAVALIER trial site Early In-Hospital Phase: Injured patients at a participating CAVALIER trial site at risk of hemorrhagic shock who meet the following criteria: 1A. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 90mmHg and tachycardia (HR ≥ 108) at scene, at outside hospital, during transport, or in emergency department of a participating CAVALIER trial site OR 1B. Systolic blood pressure ≤ 70mmHg at scene, at outside hospital, during transport, or in emergency department of a participating CAVALIER trial site AND 2.Blood/blood component transfusion initiated in prehospital setting or deemed clinically indicated within 60 minutes of arrival at the enrolling trauma center AND 3. Clinical team deems Operating Room for major hemorrhage control procedure (e.g., laparotomy, thoracotomy, vascular exploration or extremity amputation) indicated within 60 minutes of arrival at the enrolling trauma center AND 4\. Anticipated admission to intensive care unit (ICU)

Exclusion criteria

Prehospital Phase 1. Wearing NO CAVALIER opt-out bracelet 2. Age \> 90 or \< 18 years of age 3. Isolated fall from standing injury mechanism 4. Known prisoner 5. Known pregnancy 6. Traumatic arrest with \> 5 minutes of CPR without return of vital signs 7. Brain matter exposed or penetrating brain injury 8. Isolated drowning or hanging victims 9. Objection to study voiced by subject or family member at the scene or at the trauma center 10. Inability to obtain IV/IO access Early In-Hospital Phase: 1. Wearing NO CAVALIER opt-out bracelet 2. Age \> 90 or \< 18 years of age 3. Isolated fall from standing injury mechanism 4. Known prisoner 5. Known pregnancy 6. Traumatic arrest with \> 5 minutes of CPR without return of vital signs 7. Brain matter exposed or penetrating brain injury 8. Isolated drowning or hanging victims 9. Objection to study voiced by subject or family member at the scene or at the trauma center 10. Inability to obtain IV access

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of participants with 30-day mortalityfrom randomization to death or 30 days, whichever comes firstall cause mortality within 30 days

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of participants with 6-hour mortalityfrom randomization to death or 6 hours, whichever comes firstall cause mortality within 6 hours
Number of participants with 24-hour mortalityfrom randomization to death or 24 hours, whichever comes firstall cause mortality within 24 hours
Number of participants with In-hospital mortalityIn hospital mortality from time of randomization to death or 30 days, whichever comes firstdeath prior to hospital discharge
Number of participants with Death from hemorrhagefrom randomization to death or 30 days, whichever comes firstDeath from hemorrhage adjudicated by the site investigator
Number of participants with Death from brain injuryfrom randomization to death or 30 days, whichever comes firstDeath from brain injury adjudicated by the site investigator
Blood and blood component transfusion requirements in the initial 6 hoursfrom randomization to 6 hoursnumber of units transfused and type
Blood and blood component transfusion requirements in the initial 24 hoursfrom randomization to 24 hoursnumber of units transfused and type
Incidence of Multiple Organ Failure (MOF)Scores determined daily until up to Day 7 or ICU discharge, whichever comes firstEvaluated via the Denver Post injury Multiple Organ Failure Score, characterized as an incidence rate (percentage) and as MOF free days. Patients never admitted to ICU or with length of stay less than 48 hours will have a score of 0. A summary Denver score of \>3 will be classified as MOF.
Incidence of nosocomial infectionfrom randomization to death or 30 daysUtilizing the CDC criteria for diagnosis of hospital acquired pneumonia and blood stream infection
Time to hemostasishospital arrival to 4 hoursDetermined by ability to reach nadir transfusion requirement of 1 unit of red blood cells in a 60 minute period in the first 4 hours following arrival. In the absence of ability to obtain hemostasis within the first 4 hours, the patient will be designated "non-hemostasis"
Incidence of coagulopathy by thromboelastography (TEG)within 4 hours of arrival plus or minus 12TEG date collected only when obtained as part of clinical
ICU free daysFrom hospital arrival to death or 30 daysnumber of days the patient is alive and not admitted to ICU subtracted from 30
Hospital free daysFrom hospital arrival to death or 30 daysnumber of days the patient is alive and not admitted to hospital subtracted from 30
Ionized calcium measurementsMeasured in the first 60 minutes (+/- 3 hours), when feasible, during early stage resuscitation in emergency department or operating roomIonized calcium collected as part of clinical care or as research lab

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTJason Sperry, MD
sperryjl@upmc.edu4128028270
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJason Sperry, MD

University of Pittsburgh

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 17, 2026