Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia Blood Pressure (BP) Treatment Goals Less Than 140/90 vs. Less Than 160/110 mmHg: The GOALPOST Trial

Overview

This is a phase-III multi-center open-label randomized clinical trial of 4,120 individuals between 23 weeks, 0 days and 35 weeks, 6 days gestation with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia without severe features randomized to antihypertensive medication to a target blood pressure (BP) of \<140/90 mmHg or to no treatment for non-severe hypertension \< 160/110 mmHg (usual care). The primary endpoint is an adverse pregnancy composite comprised of preeclampsia with end-organ damage, medically indicated preterm delivery \<37 weeks 0 days gestation, fetal/neonatal/infant death, or placental abruption.

Detailed description

All women with a diagnosis of gestational hypertension or preeclampsia without severe features at an Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network (MFMU) Center outpatient or inpatient setting who are less than 36 weeks and 0 days of gestation will be screened for eligibility and approached for enrollment by the MFMU Research Team. Women who meet study eligibility and want to participate will provide written informed consent. Study participants will be randomized 1:1 to:

1. intervention: antihypertensive medication to achieve a target blood pressure (BP) lower than 140/90 mmHg or 2. usual care: defined as no antihypertensive medication unless BP increases to greater than or equal to 160 mmHg systolic pressure or 110 mmHg diastolic to achieve a target BP of less than 160/110 mmHg.

Participants randomized to intervention will be initiated on labetalol or nifedipine extended release (ER). For first line treatment with labetalol, 200 mg twice daily will be initiated and escalated according to institutional protocol to a BP goal of \<140/90 to a maximum dose of 2,400 mg/day (1,200 mg twice daily or 800 mg three time daily). Alternatively, for first line treatment with nifedipine ER, nifedipine ER will be initiated at 30 mg daily and escalated according to institutional protocol to a goal BP \<140/90 to a maximum dose of 120 mg/day (120 mg daily or 60 mg twice daily).

Participants will be seen clinically at least weekly until delivery. All participants will have an encounter with research staff twice a week from randomization until delivery.

Each encounter (twice a week) should include the following:

* Maternal symptom assessment including evaluation for new headaches, changes in vision, abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and/or decreased fetal movement * Side effects and adverse events assessment

At least one per week, research staff should perform the following:

* Record and review all clinic blood pressures and laboratory evaluations * Record changes to antihypertensive medications * Record unscheduled emergency room (ER) visits, Labor and Delivery (L\&D) visits or hospitalizations * For participants in the intervention group, research staff should confirm their prescription for study medication will ensure an adequate supply until their next visit, and assess compliance.

One to two weeks after randomization, the participant should complete the Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) to assess quality of life. Fetal surveillance (e.g., biophysical profile, or non-stress test with or without amniotic fluid assessment) should be performed clinically at least weekly per local standard of care. Ultrasonographic fetal growth assessment should be performed clinically at least every 4 weeks to assess fetal growth. If fetal growth restriction is identified, increased surveillance with umbilical artery Dopplers will be initiated per institutional protocol.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes will be abstracted from the medical records following the delivery hospitalization. Newborn assessment will include the duration of hospitalization up to 6 weeks of life. A single maternal follow-up study visit at 6 weeks (range 4-8) weeks postpartum will be scheduled to ascertain maternal, neonatal, and resource use outcomes.

Interventions

• Drug Anti-hypertensive medication titrated to a BP goal of <140/90 mmHg
  Antihypertensive medication titrated to a BP goal of \< 140/90 mmHg initiated on labetalol or nifedipine ER following standard dosing guidelines. For first line treatment with labetalol, 200 mg twice daily will be initiated and escalated to a BP goal of \<140/90 mmHg to a maximum dose of 2,400 mg/day (1,200 mg twice daily or 800 mg three times daily). If a maximum daily dose of 2,400 mg or maximal tolerated dose of labetalol is reached without achieving goal BP \<140/90 mmHg, or at provider dis
• Other Usual Care: Anti-hypertensive medication for BP ≥160/110 mmHg titrated to a goal of < 160/110 mmHg
  Usual care will not receive anti-hypertensive medication upon randomization. Participants will only be prescribed antihypertensive medication if their BP increases to ≥160/110 mmHg and titrated to a BP goal of \<160/110 mmHg. They will receive IV and/or oral anti-hypertensive medication as per local institutional protocols for management of severe range BP.

Primary outcome measures

• Number of participants with the adverse pregnancy composite [Time frame: Randomization to 6 weeks postpartum / 6 weeks of life (a period of up to 23 weeks)]

Secondary outcome measures (12)

• Number of participants with the adverse perinatal composite outcome [Time frame: Randomization to 6 weeks of life (a period of up to 23 weeks)]
• Number of participants with preeclampsia with severe features [Time frame: Randomization to 6 weeks postpartum (a period of up to 23 weeks)]
• Number of perinatal deaths [Time frame: Randomization to 28 days of life (a period of up to 147 days)]
• Number of neonates who were small for gestational age <3rd percentile [Time frame: At birth]
• Number of neonates who were small for gestational age <10th percentile for gestational age [Time frame: At birth]
• Number of neonates with low birth weight [Time frame: At birth]
• Number of participants with preterm births [Time frame: From randomization to birth (a period of up to 14 weeks)]
• Number of participants with spontaneous preterm birth [Time frame: From randomization to birth (a period of up to 14 weeks)]
• Number of participants with severe hypertension [Time frame: Randomization to 6 weeks postpartum (a period of up to 23 weeks)]
• Number of participants with cesarean delivery [Time frame: At delivery]
• Number of participants with postpartum hemorrhage [Time frame: Randomization to 6 weeks postpartum (a period of up to 23 weeks)]
• Number of maternal deaths [Time frame: Randomization to 6 weeks postpartum (a period of up to 23 weeks)]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Singleton or di-chorionic twin gestation.
• Gestational age at randomization from 23 weeks 0 days through 35 weeks 6 days based on clinical information and evaluation of the earliest ultrasound
• Diagnosis of gestational hypertension or preeclampsia without severe features within 10 days prior to randomization.

• Gestational hypertension or preeclampsia is defined as new onset systolic blood pressure 140-159 or diastolic blood pressure 90-109 (or both) on two occasions at least four hours apart on or after 20 weeks 0 days gestation with normal end-organ labs, with or without proteinuria.
• Blood pressure measurements used for the diagnosis must occur during a formal clinical assessment in the outpatient, inpatient, or emergency care setting and be documented in the medical record. The diagnosis is made on the date of the second qualifying blood pressure.
• At least 1 elevated blood pressure (systolic blood pressure 140-159 and/or diastolic blood pressure 90-109) must be documented at the recruitment site

Exclusion criteria

• Known allergy or hypersensitivity to both labetalol and nifedipine ER
• Two blood pressure measurements ≥ 140/90 at least 4 hours apart prior to 20 weeks 0 days in the current pregnancy
• History or current use of anti-HTN medication defined as any of the following:

• Prescribed anti-HTN medication for the indication of lowering blood pressure within 12 months prior to conception or prior to 20 weeks 0 days in the current pregnancy. Use during a prior pregnancy and through 12 weeks postpartum, or use for stage 1 chronic hypertension is not an exclusion.
• Current use of anti-HTN medication. Participants on anti-HTN medication for the purpose of treating non-severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, or for indications other than hypertension, who are willing to go through a 48 hour washout before randomization would be eligible.
• High-risk co-morbidities for which treatment at a lower blood pressure level (i.e., below the standard cutoff of 160/110) may be indicated

• Chronic kidney disease including any of the following lab values prior to 20 weeks gestation: proteinuria ≥ 300mg/24 hr, clean catch protein creatinine ratio ≥ 0.3, or serum creatinine >1.1
• Cardiac disorders including cardiomyopathy, angina, and coronary artery disease
• Prior stroke
• Retinopathy
• Sickle cell disease

Preeclampsia with severe features defined as any of the following:

• Severe hypertension defined as new onset systolic blood pressure ≥ 160 or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 110 on two occasions at least 4 hours apart (unless antihypertensive medication is initiated before this time) on or after 20 weeks 0 days gestation.
• Severe features of preeclampsia as evidenced by end organ damage defined as any of the following on or after 20 weeks 0 days gestation:

• Thrombocytopenia defined as a platelet count <100,000
• Renal insufficiency defined as a serum creatinine >1.1 mg/dL or a doubling of the concentration in the absence of other renal disease
• Impaired liver function defined as an elevated blood concentration of liver transaminases to twice normal concentration, or by severe persistent right upper quadrant or epigastric pain
• Pulmonary edema
• New onset headache unresponsive to medication and not accounted for by alternative diagnoses
• Visual disturbances
• Eclampsia

• Oligohydramnios defined as a maximum vertical pocket (MVP) <2 cm or an amniotic fluid index (AFI) < 5 cm
• Fetal growth restriction defined as estimated fetal weight < 5th percentile, or fetal growth restriction <10th percentile (estimated fetal weight <10th percentile or abdominal circumference < 10th percentile) with abnormal umbilical artery dopplers (elevated (S/D ratio >95th percentile for gestational age), absent or reversed end diastolic flow)
• Known fetal genetic disease or major malformations
• Fetal demise or planned termination of pregnancy.
• Planned indicated delivery prior to 37 weeks 0 days
• Participation in another interventional study that influences the primary outcome in this study. This may not apply to comparative effectiveness studies evaluating treatments that are available and used as part of clinical practice. Such cases will be adjudicated by the Concurrent Research Committee and Protocol Subcommittee.
• Plan to deliver at a non-participating site
• Participation in this trial in a previous pregnancy

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Prevention

Study locations

United States · 14 centers

• University of Alabama - Birmingham — Birmingham
• Regents of the University of California San Francisco — San Francisco
• Northwestern University — Chicago
• Columbia University — New York
• University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill
• Duke University — Durham
• Case Western Reserve University — Cleveland
• Ohio State University — Columbus
• … and 6 more centers

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07746271 · HD114633-GOALPOST · U01HD114633 · U24HD036801

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗