A Pilot Randomized, Controlled, Double‐Blind Trial of Bumetanide to Treat Neonatal Seizures

• Published in: Annals of neurology Vol. 89; no. 2; pp. 327 - 340
• Main Authors: Soul, Janet S., Bergin, Ann M., Stopp, Christian, Hayes, Breda, Singh, Avantika, Fortuno, Carmen R., O'Reilly, Deirdre, Krishnamoorthy, Kalpathy, Jensen, Frances E., Rofeberg, Valerie, Dong, Min, Vinks, Alexander A., Wypij, David, Staley, Kevin J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2021; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use; Bumetanide; Bumetanide - therapeutic use; Diuresis; Double-Blind Method; Double-blind studies; Drug efficacy; Drug Therapy, Combination; EEG; Electroencephalography; Female; GABA Modulators - therapeutic use; Genetic Diseases, Inborn - complications; Hearing loss; Humans; Hypothermia; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain - complications; Infant, Newborn; Intracranial Hemorrhages - complications; Male; Meningoencephalitis - complications; Neonates; Nervous System Malformations - complications; Pharmacokinetics; Phenobarbital; Phenobarbital - therapeutic use; Pilot Projects; Placebos; Reduction; Seizures; Seizures - drug therapy; Seizures - etiology; Sodium Potassium Chloride Symporter Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Statistical analysis; Stroke - complications
• ISSN: 0364-5134; 1531-8249; 1531-8249
• DOI: 10.1002/ana.25959

Objective In the absence of controlled trials, treatment of neonatal seizures has changed minimally despite poor drug efficacy. We tested bumetanide added to phenobarbital to treat neonatal seizures in the first trial to include a standard‐therapy control group. Methods A randomized, double‐blind, dose‐escalation design was employed. Neonates with postmenstrual age 33 to 44 weeks at risk of or with seizures were eligible. Subjects with electroencephalography (EEG)‐confirmed seizures after ≥20 and <40mg/kg phenobarbital were randomized to receive additional phenobarbital with either placebo (control) or 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3mg/kg bumetanide (treatment). Continuous EEG monitoring data from ≥2 hours before to ≥48 hours after study drug administration (SDA) were analyzed for seizures. Results Subjects were randomized to treatment (n = 27) and control (n = 16) groups. Pharmacokinetics were highly variable among subjects and altered by hypothermia. The only statistically significant adverse event was diuresis in treated subjects (48% vs 13%, p = 0.02). One treated (4%) and 3 control subjects died (19%, p = 0.14). Among survivors, 2 of 26 treated subjects (8%) and 0 of 13 control subjects had hearing impairment, as did 1 nonrandomized subject. Total seizure burden varied widely, with much higher seizure burden in treatment versus control groups (median = 3.1 vs 1.2 min/h, p = 0.006). There was significantly greater reduction in seizure burden 0 to 4 hours and 2 to 4 hours post‐SDA (both p < 0.01) compared with 2‐hour baseline in treatment versus control groups with adjustment for seizure burden. Interpretation Although definitive proof of efficacy awaits an appropriately powered phase 3 trial, this randomized, controlled, multicenter trial demonstrated an additional reduction in seizure burden attributable to bumetanide over phenobarbital without increased serious adverse effects. Future trials of bumetanide and other drugs should include a control group and balance seizure severity. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:327–340