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Rapid Evacuation and Access of Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial

Rapid Evacuation and Access of Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06870812
Acronym
REACH
Enrollment
600
Registered
2025-03-11
Start date
2025-05-27
Completion date
2030-03-01
Last updated
2026-03-19

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

Conditions

Stroke Hemorrhagic

Keywords

Intracerebral hemorrhage, minimally invasive surgery, Blood clot

Brief summary

The main purpose of this study is to compare patients with a deep bleed in the brain undergoing surgery to patients receiving routine medical care. The standard treatment involves admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with close monitoring and blood pressure control. It also includes other medical (non-surgical) treatments to prevent more bleeding or another stroke. Sometimes, doctors will recommend surgery to remove the blood if medical treatment alone is not successful. There is evidence that doing minimally invasive surgery early-using a small opening in the skull to remove blood-may help some patients. Researchers aim to understand whether this surgery is better than current medical treatment, which may include surgeries to relieve pressure on the brain in some cases. This study, called REACH, is comparing usual medical care to early minimally invasive surgery so doctors can know which is better for patients.

Detailed description

The REACH trial, which stands for Rapid Evacuation and Access of Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial, is a medical research study aimed at finding better ways to treat people who have had a specific type of stroke called an intracerebral hemorrhage. This type of stroke happens when a blood vessel bursts and causes bleeding in the brain. Traditionally, treating this kind of stroke has been challenging, and the best approach is not always clear. Recently, trials have shown that minimally invasive surgery to remove the clot caused by bleeding improves outcomes and decreases death when the blood is located closer to the surface of the skull. The REACH trial is testing the same minimally invasive surgery to remove the blood clot caused by the bleeding in a deeper part of the brain. The goal is to see if this approach can improve recovery and outcomes for patients compared to standard medical care. In simple terms, the REACH trial is trying to find out if using a less invasive surgical technique can help people recover better and faster after a bleeding stroke in the deeper part of the brain.

Interventions

Following randomization into the surgical arm, a competency-trained neurosurgeon will perform the MIPS for clot evacuation with strict adherence to the Surgical Manual of the CSG. Image interpretation, patient position, anesthetic plan, stereotactic navigation registration, exoscopic positioning, access, optics, resection, and hemostasis are detailed in the Surgical Manual of the CSG. The OR arrival time should occur \<24 hours from the last known normal (LKN) with a goal of arrival in less than 8 hours from the last known normal.

OTHERMedical Management

Following randomization into the medical arm patients will be treated following the Medical Manual of the CSG. The Medical Manual has been adapted by the REACH Executive Committee (REC) from the current American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA) Guidelines for the Management of Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage. Whenever clinically feasible, the CSG should be followed as it represents a template for the care of these subjects. The Medical Manual details specialty level of care, including intensive care placement, blood pressure control, hemostasis and coagulopathy, anemia, deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism prophylaxis/treatment, glucose management, temperature management, seizure prophylaxis, intracranial pressure monitoring and management, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)/obstructive hydrocephalus management, cerebral edema, decompressive hemicraniectomy, nutritional support, respiratory support, and comfort care.

Sponsors

Emory University
Lead SponsorOTHER
The Marcus Foundation
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18-70 years * Pre-randomization head CT demonstrating an acute, spontaneous, anterior basal ganglia primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) (the anterior basal ganglia include the caudate, putamen, and pallidum to the capsula externa and excludes the thalamus) * ICH volume between 20 - 80 mL as calculated by an approved and standardized volumetric measurement * Study intervention can reasonably be initiated within 24 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms. If the onset is unclear, then the onset will be considered the time that the subject was last known to be well. * Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 5 - 14 * Historical Modified Rankin Score 0 or 1

Exclusion criteria

* Ruptured aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation (AVM), vascular anomaly, Moyamoya disease, venous sinus thrombosis, mass or tumor, hemorrhagic conversion of an ischemic infarct, recurrence of a recent (less than 1 year) ICH, as diagnosed with radiographic imaging * NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) less than or equal to 5 * Bilateral fixed dilated pupils * Extensor motor posturing * Intraventricular extension of the hemorrhage is visually estimated to involve greater than 50% of either of the lateral ventricles * Primary thalamic ICH or basal ganglia hemorrhage with involvement \> 25% of thalamus * Infratentorial intraparenchymal hemorrhage including midbrain, pontine, or cerebellar * Use of anticoagulants that cannot be rapidly reversed (i.e., criteria is met if investigators are confident that clinically significant coagulopathy is not present after targeted correction) * Evidence of active bleeding involving a retroperitoneal, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or respiratory tract site * Uncorrected coagulopathy or known clotting disorder * Known platelet count less than 75,000 or known international normalized ratio (INR) greater than 1.4 after correction * Patients requiring long-term anti-coagulation that needs to be initiated less than or equal to 5 days from initial ICH * End-stage renal disease * Patients with a mechanical heart valve * End-stage liver disease * History of drug or alcohol use or dependence that, in the opinion of the site investigator, would interfere with adherence to study requirements * Positive urine or serum pregnancy test in female subjects without documented history of surgical sterilization or post-menopausal * Known life expectancy of less than 6 months before ICH * No reasonable expectation of recovery, do-not-resuscitate (DNR), or comfort measures only before randomization * Participation in a concurrent interventional medical investigation or clinical trial. Patients in non-interventional/observational studies are eligible * Inability or unwillingness of the subject or legal guardian/representative to give written informed consent * Homelessness or inability to meet follow-up requirements

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Score on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at180 days after randomizationThe mRS is a seven-level ordinal scale that ranges from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Hospital mortalityUp to 14 days (average hospital stay)Mortality rate during hospitalization will be calculated.
All-cause mortality at discharge from the initial hospitalization30 days after randomizationAll-cause mortality rate will be calculated.
Change in hematoma volumeBaseline and up to 36 hours post-randomizationThe change in hematoma volume from the initial to the follow-up neuroimaging for surgical management versus medical management.
Post-operative rebleeding associated with neurologic deteriorationUp to 36 hours post-randomizationPost-operative rebleeding associated with neurologic deterioration (defined as a growth in hematoma volume between the initial CT and follow-up neuroimaging and an increase of 4 or more points on the NIH stroke scale or a decrease of up to 2 points on the GCS that was not explained by planned medical interventions \[e.g., sedatives, analgesics, and procedures\]). \*This outcome applies to the surgery group only.
Serious adverse events180-days post-randomizationAll adverse events will be recorded f after randomization until the final follow-up visit.
Number of participants who required a decompressive hemicraniectomyUp to 14 days (average stay in the hospital)Number of participants who required a decompressive hemicraniectomy in each group during initial hospitalization.
Intensive care unit (ICU) length-of-stay (LoS)Up to 7 days (average stay in ICU)Total number of days spent in ICU
Duration of mechanical ventilation between groupsUp to 7 days (average ICU stay)Duration that patients required mechanical ventilation

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTAlex Hall, DHSc
alex.hall@emory.edu404-778-1585
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAlex Hall, DHSc

Emory University

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORGustavo Pradilla, MD

Emory University

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJonathan Ratcliff, MD

Emory University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 20, 2026