Acute Otitis Media (AOM) Therapy Trial in Young Children

Completed · Phase 4 · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Acute Otitis Media

In brief

The purpose of this study is to learn whether or not all children with ear infections (acute otitis media or AOM) should be treated with antibiotics. The study will compare two treatment strategies, "watchful waiting" or treatment with antibiotics, to determine which is more appropriate for children with AOM. About 268 children in Pittsburgh, between the ages of 6-23 months, with AOM will be enrolled in the study. They will be treated either with Augmentin (an antibiotic) or placebo for 10 days and closely followed for about 1 month. Parents will be asked to write information about their child in a Patient Diary. A general physical exam, including an ear exam, will be performed 4 times during the study. A mucus sample will be collected from the back of each child's nose. Parents will be asked questions during phone calls and at every visit. If a child has not improved or has worsened, the investigators will prescribe a different antibiotic that is known to kill resistant germs.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00377260

Run by

University of Pittsburgh

People needed

291

Starts

2006-11-01

Expected to finish

2009-04-01

Last updated by the study team

2016-12-05

Who can join

Age: 1 and older, up to 2. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• aged 6 to 23 months
• have received at least two doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar) and Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine
• have evidence of acute otitis media (AOM) defined as:
• Recent (within 48 hours), onset of signs and symptoms and a score of greater than or equal to 3 on the AOM-SOS scale.
• Middle ear effusion evidenced by at least two of the following:
• decreased or absent tympanic membrane mobility by pneumatic otoscopy,
• yellow or white discoloration of the tympanic membrane,
• opacification of the tympanic membrane, plus
• 1+ bulging of the tympanic membrane with either marked erythema or otalgia, or
• 2+ or 3+ bulging of the tympanic membrane

You may not qualify if…

• certain signs or symptoms (e.g., toxic appearance [capillary refill greater than 3 seconds, systolic blood pressure less than 60 mm Hg], otalgia for a period greater than 48 hours, spontaneous perforation of the tympanic membrane and drainage or temperature greater than or equal to 105 degrees F);
• clinical or anatomical characteristics that might obscure response to treatment (e.g., tympanostomy tube[s] in place or a history of tympanostomy tubes, unrepaired or repaired overt or submucous cleft palate, high-arched palate, or Down's syndrome);
• underlying systemic problems that might obscure response to infection (e.g., serious underlying disease [e.g., cystic fibrosis, neoplasm, juvenile diabetes]), concomitant infection that would preclude evaluation of the response of the child's AOM to study medication, known renal insufficiency (i.e., serum creatinine greater than or equal to 1.5 times upper limit of normal for age), known hepatic insufficiency or a history of amoxicillin-clavulanate-associated cholestatic jaundice or hepatic dysfunction, history of immune dysfunction, deficiency or receipt of immunosuppressive therapy, chronic gastrointestinal conditions (i.e., malabsorption, inflammatory bowel disease), malignancy;
• sensorineural hearing loss either unilateral or bilateral;
• comedications (e.g., systemic corticosteroids at any point while enrolled in the study, more than one dose of systemic antimicrobial therapy within 96, any investigational drug or vaccine;
• hypersensitivity to penicillin, amoxicillin or amoxicillin-clavulanate, or phenylketonuria or known hypersensitivity to aspartame;
• unable to complete the study protocol or not having access to a telephone; and
• current enrollment in another study or previously enrolled in this study.

Where it is running

• Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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