New device aims to bridge heart failure patients to Life-Saving pump

NCT ID NCT03836482

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests a device that filters out overactive immune cells from the blood to reduce inflammation in patients with severe heart failure and worsening kidney function. Twenty ICU patients will receive 4-hour treatments daily for up to 6 days. The goal is to see if it safely improves heart and kidney function enough to make them eligible for a heart pump.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Selective Cytopheretic Device (SCD)
What this could lead to
If it works, this device could help stabilize heart and kidney function, making more patients eligible for a life-saving heart pump.
What could go wrong
This is a very early, small study with only 20 patients. The device is experimental, and it may not improve outcomes or could cause complications like infection or bleeding.
Why investors are watching

SeaStar Medical is testing its Selective Cytopheretic Device (SCD) in 20 ICU patients with severe heart failure and kidney problems, aiming to improve heart or kidney function enough to make them eligible for a heart pump (LVAD). For a micro-cap company with few products, this small feasibility study is a key early test of whether the device works in humans and could open a new market beyond its existing uses.

If it works: If the device shows safety and hints of benefit, SeaStar could position SCD as a bridge therapy for heart failure patients, potentially expanding its commercial reach and attracting partnership interest. A positive readout could also support larger trials and strengthen the company's credibility with regulators and investors.

If it fails: The trial is small and early, and many feasibility studies fail to show meaningful benefit. If the device does not improve heart or kidney function, or if safety problems emerge, SeaStar would face a setback in this indication, and the stock could lose value as the market adjusts expectations.

AI-written from the trial record. Speculative, and not investment advice.

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

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

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

About 20 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2025

Expected to finish

Aug 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A company

The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age of 18 years and older. 2. Evidence of systemic inflammation: blood CRP ≥ 4.5 mg/L or IL-6 ≥ 5.0 pg/ml or neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio ≥3.0. 3. Primary hospitalization for acute decompensated chronic systolic heart failure. 4. Potential LVAD candidate with: a) Left ventricular ejection fraction ≤25% (for potential destination therapy) or ≤ 35% (for potential bridge to transplantation) as confirmed by baseline imaging procedure b) NYHA class IIIB or IV chronic (≤ 90 days) systolic heart failure, with failure to respond to optimal medical therapy (beta blocker, ACE inhibitor or ARB or valsartan/sacubitril, aldosterone antagonist, SGLT2i, unless not tolerated or contraindicated, and loop diuretic, as needed) for 45 of the last 60 days c) Known previous peak exercise oxygen consumption \< 14 mL/Kg/min or if unable to exercise, dependent on an intra-aortic balloon pump, short-term mechanical circulatory support device or intravenous inotropes unless inotropes contraindicated for clinical reasons (e.g., ventricular arrhythmias) 5. Baseline eGFR\*\* ≥ 40 ml/min/1.73 m2 (baseline defined as the highest known eGFR within 90 days of study enrollment) 6. At least one of the following two criteria: 1. Severe right ventricular failure (RVF), defined as meeting at least 2 of the following 4 criteria -Central venous pressure \> 16 mmHg -Central venous pressure/Pulmonary wedge pressure \>0.65 -Right ventricular stroke work index \< 300 mmHg \* ml/m2 -Pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) \< 2, 2. Worsening renal failure (WRF), defined for the purposes of this study as -Increase serum creatinine ≥ 0.5 mg/dL from baseline (baseline defined as the lowest known serum creatinine within 90 days of study enrollment) AND * eGFR\*\* ≤ 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 based on serum creatinine at enrollment\*\*\* AND * Cardiorenal syndrome is the most likely explanation for WRF AND * Intolerant or inadequately responsive to standard of care diuretic therapy, defined as persistent signs and/or symptoms of congestion (e.g., peripheral edema, dyspnea, pulmonary rales, neck vein distension) or minimal net volume removal in a 24-hour period despite optimal medical therapy including intravenous diuretic therapy and an estimated need for \>5kg fluid removal. 1. Optimal intravenous diuretic therapy is defined as: 1. Furosemide equivalent total daily dose of 240mg 2. Furosemide equivalent dose given either as a single or multiple intravenous bolus or continuous infusion 3. A furosemide equivalent total daily dose \<240mg if the dose has resulted in \>3000 mL urine output/24 hours. 7. PA catheter in place at the time of enrollment 8. PCW ≥ 20 mmHg * eGFR calculated using the CKD-EPI Creatinine Equation \*\*\* Recognizing that this is not a steady state creatinine Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any clear contraindication to LVAD therapy that is unlikely to resolve with improvement in renal function and volume status 2. Prior sensitivity to dialysis device components 3. Active bacteremia 4. Temperature ≥ 101.5 F or WBC ≥ 10,000 K/uL or any patient with suspected systemic infection. 5. Metastatic malignancy requiring palliative chemo, biologic, or radiation 6. Need for intravenous vasopressor (i.e., phenylephrine, vasopressin), intravenous vasoconstricting inotrope (i.e., norepinephrine or epinephrine) or dopamine \> 3 mcg/kg/min. (Note: use of vasodilating inotropes \[i.e., dobutamine and milrinone\] or dopamine at ≤ 3 mcg/kg/min will not preclude study inclusion) 7. Patients requiring mechanical ventilatory support 8. Patients requiring total parenteral nutrition during the treatment period 9. Persistent SBP \< 80 mmHg 10. WBC \< 4000 K/uL 11. Platelets \< 100,000K/uL 12. Serum creatinine \> 4 mg/dL or receiving dialysis / CRRT 13. Acute coronary syndrome within the past month 14. Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding a child, or trying to become pregnant 15. Concurrent enrollment in another interventional clinical trial. Patients enrolled in clinical studies where only measurements and/or samples are taken (i.e., no test device or test drug used) are allowed to participate 16. Use of any other investigational drug or device within the previous 30 days. Patients who participated in a clinical study where only measurements and/or samples are taken (i.e., no test device or drug used) are allowed to participate.

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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.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. 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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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Michigan

    RECRUITING

    Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States

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