International Normalized Ratio (INR) Normalization in Coumadin Associated Intracerebral Haemorrhage

Summary

Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is the most feared complication in patients on vitamin K antagonists (VKA). VKA related ICH occurs 8-10 times more frequently and the mortality is 2 times higher than in non-anticoagulated patients. Mortality may rise up to 67%. The higher mortality rate may in part be due to the higher rate of haematoma expansion (HE) over a longer period after symptom onset. International guidelines recommend treatment of VKA-ICH with prothrombin complex (PCC) or fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) both in combination with Vitamin-K. But these recommendations are not based on randomized controlled trials. It is known that these drugs lower the INR, and thus it is assumed that normalization of coagulopathy may lead to haemostasis and reduction of HE. Safety and efficacy of these treatments have never been studied in a prospective controlled trial. The investigators' questions are: How potent are PCC and FFP in normalization of the INR? What is the safety profile of each of these drugs?

Timeline

Start

2009-07

Primary completion

2015-01

Completion

2015-01

Publications

• Background Steiner T, Griebe M, Ivandic B, et al. Multicenter, prospective randomized trial on the use of prothrombin complex and fresh frozen plasma to normalize the INR in patients with coumadine related intracerebral hemorrhage related to vitamin K antagonists - The INCH-trial. Cerebovascular Disease 2009;27:185
• Background Steiner T, Freiberger A, Griebe M, Husing J, Ivandic B, Kollmar R, Pfefferkorn T, Wartenberg KE, Weimar C, Hennerici M, Poli S. International normalised ratio normalisation in patients with coumarin-related intracranial haemorrhages--the INCH trial: a randomised controlled multicentre trial to compare safety and preliminary efficacy of fresh frozen plasma and prothrombin complex--study design and protocol. Int J Stroke. 2011 Jun;6(3):271-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2010.00560.x. Epub 2011 Jan 10.
• Results Steiner T, Poli S, Griebe M, Husing J, Hajda J, Freiberger A, Bendszus M, Bosel J, Christensen H, Dohmen C, Hennerici M, Kollmer J, Stetefeld H, Wartenberg KE, Weimar C, Hacke W, Veltkamp R. Fresh frozen plasma versus prothrombin complex concentrate in patients with intracranial haemorrhage related to vitamin K antagonists (INCH): a randomised trial. Lancet Neurol. 2016 May;15(6):566-73. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(16)00110-1. Epub 2016 Apr 11.
• Eilertsen H, Menon CS, Law ZK, Chen C, Bath PM, Steiner T, Desborough MJ, Sandset EC, Sprigg N, Al-Shahi Salman R. Haemostatic therapies for stroke due to acute, spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Oct 23;10(10):CD005951. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005951.pub5.

Drugs

Indications