Adjunct Methadone to Decrease the Duration of Mechanical Ventilation in the Medical Intensive Care Unit

NCT02025855 | Terminated Phase 4 Results

• 1 other identifier: Smoot_8503
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 9
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if administering methadone to mechanically ventilated patients in the medical intensive care unit (ICU) requiring continuous infusions of sedatives and analgesics will decrease the time of mechanical ventilation, when initiated within 48 hours of their admission. Patients meeting enrollment criteria will be randomly assigned to receive methadone or placebo in addition to standard care. Methadone is a long acting pain medication that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manage withdrawal from opioids and moderate to severe pain. Both of these indications are a frequent concern for critically ill patients that require mechanical ventilation. These patients often require intravenous (IV) opioids to manage the pain they experience due to their illness, procedures, and mechanical ventilation. During this time patients can develop physical dependence, which leads to withdrawal symptoms when the opioids are stopped or the dose is reduced. These symptoms can include agitation, pain, diarrhea and several others. Currently this is managed by a slow reduction in the dose of the IV opioid, but this can lead to prolonged time on mechanical ventilation, which has been associated with increased morbidity. Administering oral methadone to patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms has been shown to reduce and even eliminate these symptoms in the outpatient setting. This should also benefit patients in the ICU experiencing withdrawal from intravenous opioids required during their stay. It may allow for the other opioids to be discontinued more quickly, allowing for a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation. The level of pain and sedation will be assessed between groups randomized to either methadone or placebo in addition to current intravenous sedative and analgesic agents. The duration of mechanical ventilation will be assessed between both groups. Opioid withdrawal symptoms may manifest or be mistaken for delirium symptoms. ICU delirium is often managed with antipsychotic medications. To assess if methadone can reduce the need for antipsychotic medication, all administered antipsychotic doses will be recorded and total consumption will be compared between the two groups. Methadone has been associated with abnormal heart rhythms in rare instances. To ensure patient safety, data from the heart monitor will be collected and compared between the two groups to assess for QT interval prolongation.

Conditions

Opioid Use, Unspecified With Withdrawal; Opioid-Induced Disorders; Delirium

Keywords

Iatrogenic opioid abstinence syndrome; Methadone; Mechanical ventilation; ICU delirium; Continuous sedation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Time to Extubation

  The time to extubation will be calculated and compared for both groups.

  Up to 14 days

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Cumulative Opioid Consumption

  Up to 14 days

• Level of Sedation

  Up to 14 days

• Corrected QT Interval

  Up to 14 days

• Cumulative Antipsychotic Use

  Up to 14 days

• Cumulative Benzodiazepine Consumption

  Up to 14 days

Study Arms (2)

Methadone

EXPERIMENTAL

Methadone will be administered at a dose calculated from the subjects total daily opioid requirements, with a maximum methadone dose of 60 mg per day. The methadone will be administered every 8 hours as 5 mg capsules that will be given via an enteral feeding tube.

Drug: Methadone

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

This will be a capsule containing only lactose and will be given every 8 hours via an enteral feeding tube. The number of placebo capsules will be calculated based on the subjects opioid requirements. This will ensure the same number of capsules will be given despite which arm the patient is enrolled in.

Drug: Placebo

Interventions

Methadone DRUG

Methadone

Placebo DRUG

Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Mechanically ventilated patients with opioid consumption greater than or equal to 1,200 mcg of fentanyl or equivalent consumption of another opioid per day during the first 48 hours of intubation.

You may not qualify if:

• Allergy to methadone
• Admitted for head injury
• Admitted for seizure
• Seizure during admission, prior to enrollment
• Subjects at high risk for developing a prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval
• Gastric residual volume ≥200 mL
• Suspected obstruction or ileus
• Nausea and vomiting
• Recent abdominal surgery
• Active upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding
• Active order for no medications by mouth or Total parenteral nutrition (TPN)
• Pregnancy
• Subjects receiving neuromuscular blocker infusions
• Subjects taking antipsychotics at baseline

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Henry Ford Health System: lead

Study Sites (1)

Henry Ford Hospital

Detroit, Michigan, 48202, United States

Location

Related Publications (8)

• Kollef MH, Levy NT, Ahrens TS, Schaiff R, Prentice D, Sherman G. The use of continuous i.v. sedation is associated with prolongation of mechanical ventilation. Chest. 1998 Aug;114(2):541-8. doi: 10.1378/chest.114.2.541.

  PMID: 9726743 BACKGROUND

• Wanzuita R, Poli-de-Figueiredo LF, Pfuetzenreiter F, Cavalcanti AB, Westphal GA. Replacement of fentanyl infusion by enteral methadone decreases the weaning time from mechanical ventilation: a randomized controlled trial. Crit Care. 2012 Dec 12;16(2):R49. doi: 10.1186/cc11250.

  PMID: 22420584 BACKGROUND

• Lugo RA, MacLaren R, Cash J, Pribble CG, Vernon DD. Enteral methadone to expedite fentanyl discontinuation and prevent opioid abstinence syndrome in the PICU. Pharmacotherapy. 2001 Dec;21(12):1566-73. doi: 10.1592/phco.21.20.1566.34471.

  PMID: 11765307 BACKGROUND

• Martell BA, Arnsten JH, Krantz MJ, Gourevitch MN. Impact of methadone treatment on cardiac repolarization and conduction in opioid users. Am J Cardiol. 2005 Apr 1;95(7):915-8. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2004.11.055.

  PMID: 15781034 BACKGROUND

• Tobias JD, Schleien CL, Haun SE. Methadone as treatment for iatrogenic narcotic dependency in pediatric intensive care unit patients. Crit Care Med. 1990 Nov;18(11):1292-3. doi: 10.1097/00003246-199011000-00024. No abstract available.

  PMID: 1977561 BACKGROUND

• Johnson PN, Boyles KA, Miller JL. Selection of the initial methadone regimen for the management of iatrogenic opioid abstinence syndrome in critically ill children. Pharmacotherapy. 2012 Feb;32(2):148-57. doi: 10.1002/PHAR.1001. Epub 2012 Jan 24.

  PMID: 22392424 BACKGROUND

• Bowens CD, Thompson JA, Thompson MT, Breitzka RL, Thompson DG, Sheeran PW. A trial of methadone tapering schedules in pediatric intensive care unit patients exposed to prolonged sedative infusions. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2011 Sep;12(5):504-11. doi: 10.1097/PCC.0b013e3181fe38f5.

  PMID: 21076361 BACKGROUND

• Hovav E, Weinstock M. Temporal factors influencing the development of acute tolerance to opiates. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1987 Jul;242(1):251-6.

  PMID: 3612531 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Delirium

Interventions

Methadone

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Confusion; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Ketones; Organic Chemicals

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Thomas Smoot
• Organization: Frederick Health

tlsmoot@frederick.health

2405663250

Study Officials

• Thomas L Smoot, PharmD

  Henry Ford Health System

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 4
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: QUADRUPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2013
• First Posted: January 1, 2014
• Study Start: January 1, 2014
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2017
• Study Completion: October 1, 2017
• Last Updated: December 5, 2025
• Results First Posted: December 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

US (1)