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Terlipressin vs. Somatostatin in Cirrhotic Patients With Acute Variceal Bleeding and Renal Dysfunction

Terlipressin vs. Somatostatin in Cirrhotic Patients With Acute Variceal Bleeding and Renal Dysfunction: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07252401
Enrollment
64
Registered
2025-11-26
Start date
2026-09-25
Completion date
2028-03-31
Last updated
2026-08-27

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

Conditions

Liver Cirrhosis

Keywords

terlipressin, somatostatin, liver cirrhosis, acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding, renal dysfunction, acute kidney injury, acute variceal bleeding

Brief summary

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) is a common complication in the decompensated stage of liver cirrhosis, of which approximately 70% is acute variceal bleeding (AVB) caused by portal hypertension. Existing evidence suggests that both terlipressin and somatostatin can be used to control AVB in cirrhotic patients, but terlipressin may be the first-line treatment for cirrhotic patients with AVB complicated by renal dysfunction (RD). Herein, a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been designed to compare the efficacy of terlipressin and somatostatin in the treatment of cirrhotic patients with AVB complicated by RD.

Detailed description

Overall, 64 cirrhotic patients with a diagnosis of AVB and RD will be enrolled. Renal dysfunction is defined as serum creatinine (SCr) level \>1.5 mg/dl at admission. They will be stratified according to the severity of liver dysfunction (i.e., Child-Pugh class A, B, and C) and degree of SCr level elevation \[i.e., 1.5-2mg/dl (133-177 μmol/L), 2-3 mg/dl (177-265 μmol/L), and ≥3 mg/dl (265 μmol/L)\], and then randomly assigned to terlipressin group and somatostatin group at a ratio of 1:1. The primary study endpoint is renal function recovery after 5-day treatment. Secondary endpoints include incidence of AKI within 7 days, 5-day failure to control bleeding, requirement of renal replacement therapy, TIPS, liver transplantation, and kidney transplantation within 6 weeks, 6-week mortality, 6-week rebleeding, and incidence of adverse events within 6 weeks.

Interventions

DRUG2-4 mg of terlipressin

Participants receive 2-4 mg of terlipressin by continuous intravenous infusion every 12 hours, with a maximum treatment course of 5 days.

DRUG3 mg of somatostatin

Participants receive 3 mg of somatostatin by continuous intravenous infusion every 12 hours, with a maximum treatment course of 5 days.

Sponsors

General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Parallel Assignment

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* patients have a definite diagnosis of live cirrhosis and AVB; * patients present with renal dysfunction at admission; * patients' age 18-70 years old; * patients or relatives can sign the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria

* patients have non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding; * patients have hepatorenal syndrome- acute renal injury (HRS-AKI); * patients have structural kidney injury; * patients have chronic kidney disease; * patients received kidney replacement therapy before enrollment; * patients have a history of liver transplantation or TIPS; * patients have acute liver failure or acute-on-chronic liver failure; * patients have hepatic or renal malignant tumor; * patients have severe diseases of the heart, lungs, and brain; * patients have contraindications for experimental drugs; * patients are in pregnancy or lactation; * patients participated in other clinical studies within 3 months before enrollment; * patients have other conditions that investigators deem unsuitable for enrollment in the study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Renal function recovery6 weeksThe renal function recovery is defined as SCr level ≤ 1.5 mg/dl (133 μmol/L) in two consecutive measurements with an interval of at least 2 hours between them.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Incidence of AKI within 7 days7 daysClinical symptoms related to AKI occur and SCr levels increase after the treatment. The diagnosis of AKI should meet any one of the following conditions: 1) an increase in SCr level of ≥ 0.3 mg/dl (26.5 μmol/L) within 48 hours; 2) an increase in SCr level to ≥ 1.5 times the baseline value within 7 days; 3) a urine output of \< 0.5 ml/kg per hour for a continuous 6 hours.
5-day failure to control bleeding5 daysThe 5-day failure to control bleeding is defined as failure to achieve effective control of AVB or occurrence of rebleeding within 5 days after treatment.
Kidney replacement therapy rate6 weeksParticipants undergo dialysis or continuous kidney replacement therapy due to failure to recover renal function after treatment.
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) treatment rate6 weeksParticipants undergo transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) treatment.
Liver and kidney transplantation treatment rate6 weeksParticipants undergo liver and kidney transplantation treatment.
6-week mortality rate6 weeksThe 6-week mortality rate is defined as the all-cause mortality rate over 6 weeks.
6-week rebleeding rate6 weeksThe 6-week rebleeding rate is defined as the rebleeding rate within 6 weeks after successful AVB hemostasis.
Adverse events6 weeksAdverse events will be monitored, including nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, arrhythmia, dyspnea, and hyponatremia that may be caused by terlipressin, as well as nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, hypoglycemia, and allergies that may be caused by somatostatin. The incidence of adverse events is defined as rate of adverse reactions secondary to terlipressin or somatostatin, endoscopic therapy or interventional procedures during study periods.

Countries

China

Contacts

CONTACTXingshun Qi, MD
xingshunqi@126.com18909881019
CONTACTQianqian Li
1208594776@qq.com13940307473
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORXingshun Qi, MD

Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORQianqian Li

Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORRong Li

Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 28, 2026