STEP-BY-STEP ✏️|| HALT-IT Trial: Scientific Overview

🚨 ** UPDATE RESULT: The HALT-IT trial hypothesis was proved FALSE and instead of benefitting a GI bleeding patient, TXA, in fact, can cause potential harm in this circumstance.

The HALT-IT trial is assessing whether early administration of tranexamic acid in people with acute gastrointestinal bleeding can reduce their risk of dying in the hospital. The trial is also measuring the effects of the treatment on re-bleeding, non-fatal vascular events, blood transfusion, surgical intervention and general health status. The HALT-IT trial began recruitment on 4 July 2013 and is aiming to recruit 12,000 patients from hospitals worldwide by 31 May 2019.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a common emergency with a 10-15% death rate. An effective treatment could save thousands of lives worldwide, In the CRASH-2 trial, we showed that, if given within 1 hour, tranexamic acid reduces mortality in bleeding trauma patients. Specifically, tranexamic acid reduces the risk of bleeding to death by about one third, with no increase in side effects. If tranexamic acid was shown to have similar effects in gastrointestinal bleeding, this would be a major advance.

Where to next:
🚨 Read the full HALT-IT published by The Lancet: https://t.co/p4s82D9rsI?amp=1
🚨 For more information on TXA: http://www.txacentral.org/
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About LSHTM-CTU:
Based within The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the largest school of public health in Europe, LSHTM-Clinical Trials Unit has a global network of collaborators from over 50 countries with an international reputation for clinical trials, especially in the area of cardiovascular disease, trauma, and emergency care, and maternal health. We value working with patients and the public and they are at the centre of our research activities.

The Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) is a world-renowned centre of excellence in the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of clinical trials and a fully registered unit with the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC). The CTU is based within the Department of Population Health. It has a strong focus on clinical trial methodology, including methods for data monitoring, trial reporting, adaptive designs, non-inferiority trials, surrogate endpoints, the multiplicity of data (eg subgroup analyses, composite endpoints, repeated measures) and methods for systematic reviews, and also conducts qualitative research into the views of trial participants. We bring to these processes extensive knowledge and practical experience of trial coordination, gained from holding a respected position within the clinical scientific community. To date, this has led to successful collaborations in many clinical fields, including cardiology, emergency care, adult and neonatal respiratory failure, liver disease, and reproductive health.

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