Effects of Anisodamine on Sublingual Microcirculation and Vascular Waterfall Phenomenon in Patients With Septic Shock

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Septic Shock, Sepsis, Critical Illness

In brief

This prospective, multicenter, single-arm, open-label interventional pilot study aims to evaluate the short-term physiological effects of intravenous anisodamine on sublingual microcirculation and vascular-waterfall parameters in adult patients with septic shock. Eligible patients will have septic shock according to Sepsis-3 criteria, will require norepinephrine support after adequate fluid resuscitation, and will be receiving invasive mechanical ventilation and PiCCO-based hemodynamic monitoring. After baseline assessment, participants will receive intravenous anisodamine according to the study protocol. Anisodamine will be administered as a loading dose of 0.5 mg/kg within 3 minutes, with a minimum dose of 20 mg and a maximum dose of 40 mg, followed by continuous infusion at 0.02-0.1 mg/kg/hour, with a maximum total daily dose of 200 mg. Sublingual microcirculatory variables, including microvascular flow index, perfused vessel density, proportion of perfused vessels, and heterogeneity index, as well as vascular-waterfall parameters, including estimated critical closing pressure, estimated mean systemic filling pressure, and the Pcc-Pmsf gradient, will be measured at baseline, 3 hours, and 6 hours after initiation of anisodamine. Systemic hemodynamic, perfusion, vasopressor, PiCCO-derived variables, and safety outcomes will also be collected. The primary objective is to characterize immediate changes in sublingual microcirculation and vascular-waterfall physiology after anisodamine administration and to provide preliminary data for future controlled studies.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07657702

Run by

First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College

People needed

20

Starts

2026-08-01

Expected to finish

2027-12-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-18

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 85. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 18-85 years.
• Diagnosis of septic shock according to Sepsis-3 criteria, defined as suspected or documented infection with vasopressor requirement to maintain mean arterial pressure ≥65 mmHg and serum lactate >2 mmol/L after adequate fluid resuscitation.
• Enrollment within 24 hours after diagnosis of septic shock or within 24 hours after ICU admission for septic shock.
• Receiving invasive mechanical ventilation at the time of enrollment.
• PiCCO catheter in place and PiCCO-based hemodynamic monitoring available before anisodamine initiation.
• Continuous norepinephrine infusion at enrollment.
• Adequate initial fluid resuscitation and hemodynamic optimization as judged by the treating physician, with volume status assessed by dynamic indices, echocardiography, or PiCCO-derived variables.
• Ability to obtain sublingual microcirculatory images of acceptable quality at baseline.
• Written informed consent obtained from the patient or legally authorized representative.

You may not qualify if…

• Shock mainly caused by non-septic etiologies, including cardiogenic, hypovolemic, obstructive, hemorrhagic, or anaphylactic shock.
• Expected death or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment within 24 hours.
• Known contraindications to anisodamine or anticholinergic therapy, including glaucoma, acute phase of intracranial hemorrhage, elevated intracranial pressure, untreated bowel obstruction, or prostatic enlargement without urinary catheterization.
• Known allergy or hypersensitivity to anisodamine or any component of the study drug.
• Severe or uncontrolled arrhythmia before enrollment, including sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, torsade de pointes, uncontrolled supraventricular tachycardia, or atrial fibrillation/flutter with uncontrolled ventricular response.
• Acute coronary syndrome, clinically significant myocardial ischemia, or cardiac arrest before enrollment during the current ICU stay.
• Severe cardiac dysfunction judged unsuitable for anisodamine by the treating physician, including severe ventricular dysfunction, cardiogenic shock, or need for high-dose inotropic support.
• Conditions interfering with sublingual microcirculatory assessment, including major oral or sublingual lesions, active oral bleeding, inability to access the sublingual area, or poor baseline image quality.
• Immunocompromised status or agranulocytosis, including long-term immunosuppressive therapy, chemotherapy-associated severe neutropenia, or other severe immune suppression judged by the investigator.
• Pregnancy, planned pregnancy, or lactation.
• Participation in another interventional clinical trial that may affect study outcomes or safety.
• Inability to obtain informed consent.

Where it is running

• The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College (Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College) — Wuhu, Anhui, China

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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