Silver Nitrate-Coated Versus Standard Indwelling Pleural Catheter for Malignant Effusions: The SWIFT Randomized Trial

Joseph B Shrager*, Rahul Bhatnagar, Christine T Kearney, Nathan P Retzlaff, Evan Cohen, Andrew E Stanton, Colleen Keyes, Momen M Wahidi, Colin Gillespie, Najib Rahman, Anthony L Kerry, David Feller-Kopman, Daniel Nader, Jason Akulian, Alex Chen, Mark Berry, Adnan Majid, Chakravarthy Reddy, Alain Tremblay, Nick A Maskell

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

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Abstract

RATIONALE: Tunneled, indwelling pleural catheters (IPC) have been demonstrated to be an effective method of managing malignant pleural effusions. However, they allow pleurodesis and can therefore be removed in only a subset of patients. A novel, silver-nitrate coated IPC was developed with the intention of creating a rapid, effective chemical pleurodesis to allow more frequent and earlier catheter removal. This study represent the pivotal clinical trial evaluating that catheter vs the standard IPC.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of a novel silver nitrate-eluting indwelling pleural catheter (SNCIPC) with that of a standard, uncoated catheter.

METHODS: The SWIFT trial was a multicentre, parallel-group, randomised, controlled, patient-blind trial. Central randomisation occurred following a computer-generated schedule, stratified by site. Recruitment was from 17 secondary or tertiary-care hospitals in the USA and 3 in the UK and included adult patients with malignant pleural effusion needing drainage, without evidence of lung entrapment or significant loculation. The intervention group underwent insertion of a SNCIPC with maximal fluid drainage, followed by a tapering drainage schedule. The control group received a standard, uncoated catheter. Follow up was until 90 days. The primary outcome measure was pleurodesis efficacy, measured by fluid drainage, at 30 days.

RESULTS: 119 patients were randomised. 5 withdrew before receiving treatment, leaving 114 (77 SNCIPC, 37 standard IPC) for intention-to-treat analysis. Mean age was 66 years (SD 11). More patients in the SNCIPC group were in-patients (39% vs 14%, p=0.009). For the primary outcome, pleurodesis rates were 12/37 (32%) in the control group and 17/77 (22%) in the SNCIPC group (rate difference -0.10, 95% CI -0.30-0.09). Median time to pleurodesis was 11 days (IQR 9-23) in the control group and 4 days (IQR 2-15) in the SNCIPC group. No significant difference in treatment-related adverse event rates was noted between groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The SNCIPC did not improve pleurodesis efficacy compared to a standard indwelling pleural catheter. This study does not support the wider use of the SNCIPC device. Clinical trial registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02649894).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1722–1729
Number of pages8
JournalAnnals of the American Thoracic Society
Volume19
Issue number10
Early online date1 Apr 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Supported by Becton, Dickinson and Company.

Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge all involved in the development and execution of this complex trial: the investigators and coordinators at all 20 sites; the data safety monitoring board (Drs. Richard Chiacchierini, Saeid Khansarinia, and Bert O'Neil); Chiltern International, Inc., for trial oversight; and the cross-functional new product development team at Becton, Dickinson and Co.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the American Thoracic Society.

Research Groups and Themes

  • Academic Respiratory Unit

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