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The STARS (STeroids Against Re-Stenosis) trial: the use of peri-procedural oral corticosteriods to prevent in-segment re-stenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention
ISRCTN ISRCTN05886349
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier
Public title The STARS (STeroids Against Re-Stenosis) trial: the use of peri-procedural oral corticosteriods to prevent in-segment re-stenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention
Scientific title
Acronym The STARS (STeroids Against Re-Stenosis) trial
Serial number at source CTA number: 22011/0001/001-0001
Study hypothesis 1. The peri-procedural use of oral corticosteroids in elective/acute patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention reduces the incidence of in-segment re-stenosis
2. The use of a chromium cobalt stent results in lower restenosis rates than bare metal stents in elective/acute patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention
Ethics approval Approval received from the London Multicentre Research Ethics Committee (MREC) on the 5th May 2005 (ref: 04/MREC2/061).
Study design Double blind 2 x 2 randomised controlled trial
Countries of recruitment United Kingdom
Disease/condition/study domain Atherosclerosis
Participants - inclusion criteria 1. Any patient awaiting percutaneous coronary intervention for symptomatic coronary artery disease (elective or acute)
2. Documented myocardial ischaemia
3. Coronary angiography demonstrating at least a 50% reduction of the luminal diameter in at least one native coronary artery (as measured by quantitative computerised angiography)
4. Any lesion more than 3 mm diameter
Participants - exclusion criteria 1. Proposed use of a drug eluting stent (in the study vessel[s])
2. Left Main Stem stenosis
3. Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction
4. Steroid therapy within 30-days of study enrolment
5. Contraindication to corticosteroid use
6. Previous inclusion in this study
7. Non-cardiac disease likely to cause death within six months
8. Inter-hospital transfers from Cumbria
Anticipated start date 01/01/2006
Anticipated end date 01/01/2009
Status of trial Completed
Patient information material
Target number of participants 548
Interventions 1. Prednisolone versus placebo
2. Chromium cobalt stent versus stainless steel stents

Steroid randomisation procedure:
1. Acute cases: patients will be randomised via block randomisation 24 hours before their procedure and assigned to the respective study arms by a closed envelope system
2. Elective cases: patients will be randomised via block randomisation at the time of their pre-admission clinic attendance (one-week prior to the procedure) and assigned to the respective study arms by a closed envelope system

Stent randomisation procedure:
Acute and elective cases: patients will be randomised via block randomisation at the time of their percutaneous coronary intervention procedure if no exclusion criteria are met and assigned to the respective study arms by a closed envelope system.

Steroid protocol:
Patients will be randomised to oral prednisolone or placebo. Patients will receive prednisolone 40 mg to start 24 hours pre-procedure and to continue for a total of 28-days.

Due to dual oral antiplatelet therapy plus oral corticosteroid use, all patients will receive empirical proton pump inhibitor cover (lansoprazole 15 mg/day for 28 days) for the duration of the corticosteroid course (advice taken from a consultant gastroenterologist).

Protocol for steroid withdrawal/step-down:
Due to the potential risk of adrenal suppression all patients will receive a step-down approach for steroid withdrawal. For the first 14 days patients will receive 40 mg prednisolone. The dose will then be tailed off over the next 14 days as shown below:

Day 1 to 14 = 40 mg
Day 15 to 19 = 20 mg
Day 20 to 24 = 10 mg
Day 25 to 28 = 5 mg

Registry:
Patients' full eligibility for study participation will not be known until the time of coronary angiography as a major inclusion criteria is a lesion of a reference diameter vessel greater than or equal to 3 mm. Lesions less than 3 mm are an exclusion criteria as National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines advise the use of drug eluting stents in this setting. Therefore some patients will receive study medication up to this point. A registry will be kept of these patients and they will be followed up clinically (via telephone) but not angiographically.
Primary outcome measure(s) Angiographically documented in-segment re-stenosis.
Secondary outcome measure(s) 1. Late loss
2. Target lesion revascularisation: defined as repeat intervention of re-stenotic lesions, which include the target site of the stent implantation or 5 mm proximal and distal in the same epicardial coronary artery
3. Target vessel revascularisation: defined as repeat intervention within the same epicardial coronary artery
4. Target vessel failure: target vessel revascularisation plus any peri-procedural complication related to the procedure
5. Myocardial Infarction (MI) related to the target vessel
6. Incidence of death
7. Unstable angina, congestive cardiac failure
8. Non-fatal MI
9. Q wave MI
9. Non-Q wave MI
10. Cardio-Vascular Accident (CVA)
11. Intracranial haemorrhage
12. Infarction
13. Repeat hospitalisation
14. Major/minor bleeding complications
15. Poor glycaemic control
Sources of funding 1. South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (UK) - Cardiothoracic Directorate Research and Development Department
2. Guidant Corporation (UK)
3. Cordis Corporation (UK)
Trial website
Publications
Contact name Dr  Andrew  Turley
  Address The James Cook University Hospital
Department of Cardiology
Cardiothoracic Research Department
Red Portacabin
Marton Road
  City/town Middlesbrough
  Zip/Postcode TS4 3BW
  Country United Kingdom
  Email a.turley@btopenworld.com
Sponsor South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust (UK)
  Address c/o Dr David R Chadwick
Head of Research and Development
Marton Road
  City/town Middlesbrough
  Zip/Postcode TS4 3BW
  Country United Kingdom
  Email DavidRChadwick@stees.nhs.uk
  Sponsor website: http://www.southtees.nhs.uk/
Date applied 03/10/2006
Last edited 02/08/2007
Date ISRCTN assigned 02/08/2007
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