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Saline Versus Balanced Crystalloid in Traumatic Brain Injury

Saline vs. Balanced Crystalloid in Traumatic Brain Injury

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06953674
Acronym
FLUID-TBI
Enrollment
600
Registered
2025-05-01
Start date
2025-06-01
Completion date
2029-09-01
Last updated
2026-08-26

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

Conditions

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Patients

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine which crystalloid (saline or balanced) should be used in the critical management of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in moderate or severe TBI patients. This trial will determine whether the use of saline or balanced crystalloids is associated with improved outcomes in TBI patients. Participants will 1. be given fluids through the veins, either saline or balanced fluid will be given. 2. From the first day to the day 14 of the hospitalization (or discharge, whichever comes first), vital signs, laboratory values, treatments given, and other medical data will be collected from the medical record. 3. Six months later, your final disability, if any, will be assessed during your follow-up with a doctor. It involves answering a short survey that will take about 5 minutes or less.

Interventions

DRUGNormal Saline (0.9% NaCl)

For the primary purpose of fluid therapy or resuscitation in the emergency room and during hospitalization. The interventions will be administered intravenously whenever isotonic intravenous fluid administration is ordered by the treating provider for fluid resuscitation and/or maintenance in the emergency room and during inpatient hospitalization. Assignment to the intervention arm will be adhered to from enrollment to discharge. The total volume, rate, initiation, cessation, and co-interventions will be left to the discretion of the treating provider. Adherence will be ensured by dual interventions at the level of pharmacy IV fluid supply and physician order. The fluids will be physically administered according to the standard intravenous procedures and those outlined in the manufacturer's instructions.

For the primary purpose of fluid therapy or resuscitation in the emergency room and during hospitalization. The interventions will be administered intravenously whenever isotonic intravenous fluid administration is ordered by the treating provider for fluid resuscitation and/or maintenance in the emergency room and during inpatient hospitalization. Assignment to the intervention arm will be adhered to from enrollment to discharge. The total volume, rate, initiation, cessation, and co-interventions will be left to the discretion of the treating provider. Adherence will be ensured by dual interventions at the level of pharmacy IV fluid supply and physician order. The fluids will be physically administered according to the standard intravenous procedures and those outlined in the manufacturer's instructions.

Sponsors

University of Louisville
Lead SponsorOTHER
Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Board
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

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

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Trauma patients presenting to the Emergency Room for initial care * Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 12 * Head CT with skull fracture(s) and/or hemorrhage(s) (\>1cm in any single dimension) with a reported mechanism of trauma

Exclusion criteria

* Severe visceral trauma dictating mortality (visceral injury severity score \> brain injury severity score) * Non-survivable brain injury based on the treating physician's judgment * Emergent visceral operative intervention before complete trauma assessment * Concern for ruptured intracranial vascular malformation * Patients who are transferred from another facility

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Neurological Outcomes6 months post injuryGlasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) 8-point scale. Glasgow Outcome Scale has been widely accepted as the standard assessment scale of global outcomes after severe brain injury because it captures well how the injury affects functioning in major areas of life. Using the manual for the GOSE interview, we will conduct our primary efficacy assessment at 6 months after ICU admission in person or over the phone. Outcomes on the GOSE scale do not change past the 6-month mark in moderate and severe TBI patients. The 8-point ordinal GOSE scale for the primary efficacy assessment will be dichotomized into favorable (GOSE score 4-8) and unfavorable (GOSE 1-3) outcomes. The primary analysis model will be a logistic regression model where the outcome of interest is the dichotomized GOS-E evaluated at 6 months to reflect favorable and unfavorable outcomes. The covariate of interest is a randomization assignment.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Inpatient mortalityrandomization to hospital discharge typically 2 weeks.We will assess the inpatient mortality of the participants. We will note the time from admission to death or discharge. The secondary outcome (inpatient mortality) will be analyzed using two approaches. The primary analysis model will be a logistic regression model where the outcome of interest is the vitality status (alive or dead) at discharge. The covariate of interest is a randomization assignment. The secondary analysis will be a time-to-death analysis comparing the survival curves between the two randomized groups using a log-rank test.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTMechelle Kaufman, BSN, RN
mechelle.kaufman@louisville.edu502-588-2329
CONTACTAkshitkumar Mistry, M.D.
a.mistry@uoflhealth.org
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAkshitkumar Mistry, MD

Assistant Professor Term

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 27, 2026