Can brain and gut artery scans guide heart treatment in premature babies?
NCT ID NCT07812064
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether adding organ Doppler ultrasound to standard echocardiography helps doctors better manage a common heart vessel problem in preterm infants. The trial enrolls 88 premature babies born before 34 weeks or weighing under 1800 grams. Half receive standard care, and half receive treatment guided by Doppler measurements of blood flow in the brain and gut arteries. The goal is to see if this approach improves survival without major complications like lung disease, intestinal damage, or brain bleeding.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Organ Doppler ultrasound of the brain and gut arteries, added to standard echocardiography, to guide treatment decisions
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this approach could help doctors identify which preterm infants truly need treatment for a heart vessel problem, sparing others from unnecessary drugs and their side effects.
- What could go wrong
- This is a single-center study with 88 infants, so the findings may not apply broadly. Doppler measurements can vary between operators, and the strategy might not improve outcomes compared with standard care.
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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 88 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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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0 to 96 hours
- 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: * Gestational age \<34 weeks and/or birth weight \<1800 g. * Admitted to the NICU at Assiut University Children Hospital within the first 24 hours of life. * First echocardiographic assessment performed between 24 and 72 hours of life. Exclusion Criteria: * Major congenital heart disease other than PDA (e.g., coarctation, critical left heart lesions). * Life-limiting congenital anomalies or chromosomal disorders. * Severe septic shock or multiorgan failure at time of first assessment. * Death or transfer before completion of initial Echo and Doppler (\<24 hours of life).
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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
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The official record
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