Heart pump brain risk study halted after just 6 patients
NCT ID NCT05924503
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study aimed to measure normal brain blood flow in people with mechanical heart pumps (like LVADs or ECMO). Researchers wanted to find target pump settings that might prevent brain injuries. However, the study was terminated early after enrolling only 6 participants, so no useful data was collected.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors set heart pump speeds to reduce brain injury risk in future patients.
- What could go wrong
- The study was terminated early with only 6 participants, so no reliable conclusions can be drawn. It was purely observational, not testing a treatment.
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
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6 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2024
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- 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.
Who is studied
Patients admitted to the intensive care unit or inpatient wards for cardiogenic shock requiring mechanical circulatory support
- 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: * \>18 years old on the day of enrollment * Mechanical circulatory support a. Left Ventricular Assist Device \[HeartMate-III\] in antegrade flow i. Critically ill ii. With and without pulsatility b. Impella antegrade flow c. VA-ECMO (VA-ECMO) is a temporary mechanical circulatory support system that enables complete and immediate cardiopulmonary support in the setting of cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest) retrograde flow usual with femoral cannulation or antegrade flow if centrally cannulated * Patient must be in the intensive care unit or in patient for the intervention to be performed Exclusion Criteria: * Known cerebrovascular disease or know angiographic abnormalities based on preexisting computed tomography angiography, digital subtraction angiography or transcranial Doppler prior to this hospitalization that will significantly affect Transcranial Doppler (TCD) parameters. Patients with abnormalities not likely to affect TCD parameters or known normal TCDs despite abnormal cerebral hemodynamic studies will still be included * Pre-Existing neurological deficits impairing quality of life * Absence of temporal windows * Presence of skull defects that may affect the feasibility of TCD windows * Co-existing dialysis or other forms of renal replacement therapy * Pregnant patients * Patients on palliative care pathway awaiting de-escalation * Patient on comfort care
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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