Watchdog group calls for NIH to halt ‘dangerous’ study of sepsis

A medical watchdog group is calling on the NIH to hit the brakes on enrollment for a clinical trial for sepsis. The details:

The background: Doctors use IV fluids and blood pressure drugs to treat sepsis, but there isn't consensus on the best combination.The CLOVERS study aims to test two treatments: giving patients lots of IV fluids immediately and then drugs to lower blood pressure, or smaller amounts of IV fluids followed more quickly by blood pressure drugs. Trial organizers started recruiting for the study, which is being funded by the NIH, in March.
The criticism: In a letter to the NIH, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group expressed concern that none of the patients in the study will receive the standard of care, and some of the patients in the study might be at risk of developing dangerously low blood pressure but not immediately be given medication to raise it.
The response: CLOVERS scientists argue the trial compares two widely used treatment approaches. “Nothing in the trial is experimental care,” said Dr. Wesley Self of Vanderbilt, an investigator in the study.