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Brain rescue: dual drug attack on Post-Arrest seizures shows promise

NCT ID NCT05756621

Disease control Sponsor: University of Milano Bicocca Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates whether combining two drugs that block brain-damaging overactivity—ketamine and perampanel—can stop super-refractory status epilepticus in people who remain in a coma after cardiac arrest. Researchers will compare outcomes in 84 patients who received this dual therapy versus those who got other treatments. The goal is to see if this approach can safely resolve seizures and improve neurological recovery.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
a combination of ketamine (given intravenously) and perampanel (given orally via tube)
What this could lead to
If effective, this dual therapy could offer a new treatment option for a severe, hard-to-control seizure condition after cardiac arrest, potentially improving survival and neurological recovery.
What could go wrong
This is a retrospective study, not a randomized trial, so results may be influenced by bias. The sample is small (84 patients), and the therapy may not work for everyone or could have side effects.

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.

Participants

84 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2022

Finished

Dec 2025

Lead sponsor

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.

Who is studied

Patients with super-refractory status epilepticus after cardiac arrest, admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, with continuous EEG monitoring, presence of first-line favorable prognostic indicators (pupillary reflexes and N20 cortical responses bilaterally; absence of periodic EEG pattern). Outcomes will be also analyzed for the following pre-defined population: "Patients with favorable prognostic indicators": patients presenting 5 or more of the following: 1) presence of a pupillary reflex bilaterally; (2) presence of corneal reflex bilaterally; (3) presence of N20 cortical response bilaterally; (4) NSE \<68 ng/mL at 24-72 hours from ACC; (5) absence of periodic EEG patterns (GPDs); (6) absence of severe anoxic brain damage on neuroimaging

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: * age ≥ 18 years * patients in coma after cardio-circulatory arrest (CCA) admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and treated with target temperature management (TTM) for the first 24 hours * initiation of continuous electroencephalographic (cEEG) monitoring within 24-36 hours of CCA * diagnosis of super-refractory status epilepticus, relapsed after the first cycle of anesthetics (lasting \> 24 hours) and antiepileptic therapy, defined according to the international Salzburg criteria9 * presence of pupillary reflex present bilaterally * presence of N20 cortical response present bilaterally Exclusion Criteria: * EEG with periodic pattern (generalized periodic discharges; GPDs) * status epilepticus resolved after the first cycle of anesthetics + antiepileptics * pregnant women

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cardiac arrest Status Epilepticus

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Cardiac arrest Status epilepticus

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • AOU Careggi

    Florence, FI, Italy

  • ASST Spedali Civili Brescia

    Brescia, BS, Italy

  • Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Integrata di Verona

    Verona, VR, Italy

  • Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena

    Modena, MO, Italy

  • Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma

    Parma, PR, Italy

  • Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori Monza

    Monza, MB, 20900, Italy

  • Ospedale Centrale di Bolzano

    Bolzano, BZ, Italy

  • Ospedale G. Brotzu

    Cagliari, CA, Italy

  • Ospedale M. Bufalini

    Cesena, FC, Italy

  • Ospedale Santa Chiara Trento

    Trento, TN, Italy

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