Mean arterial pressure after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: the METAPHORE randomized trial
NCT ID NCT05486884
First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026
Summary
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a public health problem for which overall survival is below 10%. Post-cardiac arrest syndrome is the principal cause of death in intensive care units (ICU), due to refractory shock or brain injuries secondary to anoxia. Brain anoxia is responsible for severe neurological sequelae that may be aggravated by cerebral hypoperfusion during the first few hours after the return of spontaneous circulation. Current recommendations are to ensure that arterial blood pressure is sufficient for the perfusion of organs, but no minimum threshold mean arterial pressure (MAP) has been defined. In practice, most teams target a MAP of at least 65 mmHg. Several observational studies have shown a correlation between MAP and neurological prognosis, patients with a higher initial MAP having a better outcome. Recent pilot studies have demonstrated the feasibility of increasing the target MAP after cardiac arrest, but conflicting results have been obtained concerning patient prognosis. These findings may be explained by changes to the autoregulation of the brain after cardiac arrest, with a shift of the curve towards the right, or its abolition. Cerebral blood flow is dependent on MAP, and a target MAP of 65 mmHg for these patients may result in insufficient brain perfusion. Conversely, a too high MAP might cause brain lesions due to vasogenic edema, hemorrhagic complications or excess perfusion in conditions of diminished brain metabolism. An interventional study is required to evaluate the effect of increasing MAP on neurofunctional outcome after cardiac arrest. Given the data available for brain autoregulation, the correlation between MAP and prognosis, and the risks theoretically associated with a higher MAP, investigator plans to compare a standard threshold of MAP (≥ 65 mmHg) with a high threshold of MAP (≥ 90 mmHg). Investigator hypothesizes that a high MAP within the first 24 hours after cardiac arrest will improve neurofunctional outcome.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 1,380 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Admission to ICU following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initially shockable or non-shockable rhythm ; * Sustained ROSC defined as 20 minutes with signs of circulation without the need for chest compressions; * Under invasive mechanical ventilation for coma, defined as a Glasgow score ≤ 8/15; * Consent from a relative or of a procedure for emergency inclusion. Exclusion Criteria: * Age \< 18 years ; * In-hospital cardiac arrest (first cardiac arrest); * Unwitnessed CA with initial rhythm of asystole * Delay between ROSC and attempting randomisation \> 6 hours ; * Cardiac arrest in a context of multiple trauma ; * Cardiac arrest in a context of hemorrhagic shock or severe hemorrhage necessitating hemostasis (surgery or radiological or endoscopic hemostasis) ; * Cardiac arrest secondary to an acute brain disease (ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, severe traumatic brain injury) ; * Refractory shock : Defined as a MAP \< 65 mmHg for more than one hour on norepinephrine or epinephrine at a dose \> 1 µg/kg/min despite adequate fluid resuscitation ; * Extracorporeal circulatory support prior to inclusion; * Known allergy to norepinephrine or to any of its excipients; * Decision to limit care before inclusion ; * Modified Rankin score of 4 or 5 before cardiac arrest ; * Inclusion in another interventional study in which the principal endpoint is neurological prognosis ; * Pregnancy or breast feeding ; * Adult patient deprived of freedom or under legal protection (patients under guardianship or curatorship) (article L1121-6 of the French Health Code) ; * Non-French speaking; * Patient already included in this trial ; * Absence of social security cover.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
31 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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APHM - Hôpital de la Timone
RECRUITINGMarseille, 13005, France
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APHP - Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou (HEGP)
RECRUITINGParis, 75015, France
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CH Bretagne Atlantique
RECRUITINGVannes, 56000, France
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CH Brive
RECRUITINGBrive-la-Gaillarde, 19100, France
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CH Cholet
RECRUITINGCholet, 49300, France
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CH Dieppe
RECRUITINGDieppe, 76200, France
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CH Dr Schaffner
RECRUITINGLens, 62300, France
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CH Versailles
RECRUITINGLe Chesnay, 78150, France
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CHD Vendée
RECRUITINGLa Roche-sur-Yon, 85925, France
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CHR Orléans
RECRUITINGOrléans, 45067, France
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CHRU Strasbourg - Nouvel Hôpital Civil
RECRUITINGStrasbourg, 67091, France
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CHRU Tours - Hôpital Bretonneau
RECRUITINGTours, 37044, France
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CHU Brest - Hôpital de La Cavale Blanche
RECRUITINGBrest, 29609, France
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CHU Caen
RECRUITINGCaen, 14000, France
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CHU Dijon - Hôpital F. Mitterrand
RECRUITINGDijon, 21079, France
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CHU Lille
RECRUITINGLille, 59037, France
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CHU Limoges
RECRUITINGLimoges, 87042, France
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CHU Nantes
RECRUITINGNantes, 44093, France
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CHU Nice - Hôpital Archet
RECRUITINGNice, 06202, France
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CHU Nice - Hôpital Pasteur
RECRUITINGNice, 06001, France
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CHU Nîmes
RECRUITINGNîmes, 30029, France
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CHU Poitiers
RECRUITINGPoitiers, 86021, France
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CHU Rennes
RECRUITINGRennes, 35000, France
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Centre Cardiologique du Nord
RECRUITINGSaint-Denis, 93207, France
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Centre Hospitalier Du Mans
RECRUITINGLe Mans, 72000, France
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Centre hospitalier Saint Nazaire
RECRUITINGSaint-Nazaire, 44600, France
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Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtriere Charles Foix
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGParis, 75651, France
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Hopital Lapeyronie
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGMontpellier, Sarthe, 34295, France
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Hopital de Cannes - Simone Veil
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGCannes, 06400, France
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Hôpital Cochin
RECRUITINGParis, 75014, France
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Hôpital Jacques Cartier
RECRUITINGMassy, 91300, France
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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