Could letting blood pressure drop after heart surgery be safer?

NCT ID NCT06476613

Completed Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 09, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This pilot study at Massachusetts General Hospital tests whether allowing a slightly lower blood pressure (MAP above 60 mmHg) after heart surgery is safe and reduces the need for blood-pressure-raising drugs. 80 adults having elective heart surgery are randomly assigned to either this 'permissive hypotension' approach or usual care. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible and to gather data for a larger future trial.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Permissive hypotension (lower blood pressure target of MAP >60 mmHg)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could pave the way for a larger trial that may change how blood pressure is managed after heart surgery, potentially reducing medication use and hospital stays.
What could go wrong: This is a small pilot study (80 people) testing feasibility, not effectiveness. It may not show clear benefits or could reveal risks like organ damage from low blood pressure.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for SURGERY are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

SURGERY

Contacts and locations

Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.