Could cooling the body during heart surgery shield the brain?
NCT ID NCT07316868
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether mild hypothermia (cooling the body to about 33°C) during coronary artery bypass grafting protects the brain better than normal temperature (about 36.5°C). Researchers will use advanced brain scans and blood tests to measure brain injury in 160 adults undergoing elective heart surgery. The goal is to find the best temperature management strategy to reduce cognitive decline after surgery.
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 study could show that mild cooling during heart bypass surgery helps prevent brain injury, leading to better recovery for patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 160 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. Previous research has not shown clear benefits of cooling over normal temperature.
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
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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
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About 160 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a government body.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Informed consent obtained 2. Age of \>18 years 3. Undergoing elective or subacute coronary artery bypass grafting Exclusion Criteria: 1. An emergency case 2. A history of stroke 3. A history of intracranial bleeding 4. A history of transient ischemic attack (TIA) 5. A history of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis 6. The subject is known to have a clinically significant laboratory abnormality, medical condition (such as decompensated liver disease or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or social circumstance that, in the investigator's opinion, makes it inappropriate for the subject to participate in this clinical trial. 7. Presence of implants or foreign bodies which are not known to be MRI safe
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Turku University Hospital
Turku, FIN-20521, Finland
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can heart stent patients go home in 6 hours?
- Can AI read heart scans to predict the next heart attack?
- Can a new drug cool the hidden inflammation that fuels heart disease?
- New CT scanner aims to cut unnecessary heart procedures
- Heart bypass surgeons test which vein layout keeps grafts open
- A soft patch that watches your heart beat in real time