A needle in the neck to shock the heart back to life?

NCT ID NCT04168970

Disease control Sponsor: Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 12, 2026 · Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether injecting a local anesthetic into a nerve cluster in the neck—called a stellate ganglion block—can help stop dangerous heart rhythms in people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside a hospital. The study includes adults whose heart stops with a shockable rhythm that does not respond to repeated defibrillator shocks. Researchers will measure whether the procedure terminates the abnormal rhythm and restores a normal heartbeat, comparing outcomes to historical cases.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Percutaneous stellate ganglion block: an injection of local anesthetic (lidocaine) into the neck to calm overactive heart nerves during cardiac arrest.
What this could lead to: If effective, this quick nerve-block procedure could become a rescue tool for emergency teams, potentially stopping fatal heart rhythms and saving more lives from cardiac arrest.
What could go wrong: This is a small observational study, so results may not apply broadly. The procedure carries risks like bleeding or nerve damage, and it is unclear if it will improve survival compared to standard care.

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

62 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2019

Finished

May 2026

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

All patients with an OHCA occurred in the Province of Pavia in which the first rhythm was a shockable one and with at least three episode of VT/VF during the out-of-hospital resuscitation.

Ages

18 to 100 years

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: * All patients with an OHCA, occurred in the Province of Pavia, in which the first rhythm was a shockable one and in which the cause of the cardiac arrest is medical (following Utstein-style 2014). * Patients who received L-PSGB after at least 4 unsuccessful shocks during ACLS algorithm; Exclusion Criteria: * Patients in which the cause of the cardiac arrest is non-medical following Utstein-style 2014 (trauma, overdose, drowning, electrocution, asphyxia, etc.) * Patients who has an anisocoria at the arrival of medical doctor on the scene. * Patients whose neck is judge unsuitable for PSGB by the operator (i.e. presence of big scar, thyroid goiter, etc.)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cardiac arrest Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ventricular fibrillation

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Medical etiology Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest Refractory ventricular arrhythmias Shockable rhythm Ventricular fibrillation sustained

A needle in the neck to shock the heart back to life?

What the study statuses mean