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Published in: Trials 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Update

Detailed statistical analysis plan for the SafeBoosC III trial: a multinational randomised clinical trial assessing treatment guided by cerebral oxygenation monitoring versus treatment as usual in extremely preterm infants

Authors: Mathias Lühr Hansen, Adelina Pellicer, Christian Gluud, Eugene Dempsey, Jonathan Mintzer, Simon Hyttel-Sorensen, Anne Marie Heuchan, Cornelia Hagmann, Gabriel Dimitriou, Gerhard Pichler, Gunnar Naulaers, Guoqiang Cheng, Ana Vilan, Jakub Tkaczyk, Karen B. Kreutzer, Monica Fumagalli, Olivier Claris, Siv Fredly, Tomasz Szczapa, Theis Lange, Janus Christian Jakobsen, Gorm Greisen

Published in: Trials | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Infants born extremely preterm are at high risk of dying or suffering from severe brain injuries. Treatment guided by monitoring of cerebral oxygenation may reduce the risk of death and neurologic complications. The SafeBoosC III trial evaluates the effects of treatment guided by cerebral oxygenation monitoring versus treatment as usual. This article describes the detailed statistical analysis plan for the main publication, with the aim to prevent outcome reporting bias and data-driven analyses.

Methods/design

The SafeBoosC III trial is an investigator-initiated, randomised, multinational, pragmatic phase III trial with a parallel group structure, designed to investigate the benefits and harms of treatment based on cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring compared with treatment as usual. Randomisation will be 1:1 stratified for neonatal intensive care unit and gestational age (lower gestational age (< 26 weeks) compared to higher gestational age (≥ 26 weeks)). The primary outcome is a composite of death or severe brain injury at 36 weeks postmenstrual age. Primary analysis will be made on the intention-to-treat population for all outcomes, using mixed-model logistic regression adjusting for stratification variables. In the primary analysis, the twin intra-class correlation coefficient will not be considered. However, we will perform sensitivity analyses to address this. Our simulation study suggests that the inclusion of multiple births is unlikely to significantly affect our assessment of intervention effects, and therefore we have chosen the analysis where the twin intra-class correlation coefficient will not be considered as the primary analysis.

Discussion

In line with the Declaration of Helsinki and the International Conference on Harmonization Good Clinical Practice guidelines, we have developed and published this statistical analysis plan for the SafeBoosC III trial, prior to any data analysis.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.org, NCT03770741. Registered on 10 December 2018.
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Metadata
Title
Detailed statistical analysis plan for the SafeBoosC III trial: a multinational randomised clinical trial assessing treatment guided by cerebral oxygenation monitoring versus treatment as usual in extremely preterm infants
Authors
Mathias Lühr Hansen
Adelina Pellicer
Christian Gluud
Eugene Dempsey
Jonathan Mintzer
Simon Hyttel-Sorensen
Anne Marie Heuchan
Cornelia Hagmann
Gabriel Dimitriou
Gerhard Pichler
Gunnar Naulaers
Guoqiang Cheng
Ana Vilan
Jakub Tkaczyk
Karen B. Kreutzer
Monica Fumagalli
Olivier Claris
Siv Fredly
Tomasz Szczapa
Theis Lange
Janus Christian Jakobsen
Gorm Greisen
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Trials / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1745-6215
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3756-y

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