New MRI technique could reveal hidden muscle wasting in heart patients
NCT ID NCT04869813
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study uses two advanced MRI techniques to measure muscle health in heart failure patients with and without sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). Researchers will scan 70 participants to compare muscle composition and energy recovery. The goal is to find better ways to detect and track sarcopenia in this high-risk group.
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 lead to better imaging tools for diagnosing and tracking sarcopenia in heart failure patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study (70 participants) focused on measurement, not treatment. Results may not apply to broader populations or lead directly to clinical changes.
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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About 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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
Heart Failure and Healthy volunteers
- Ages
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40 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: * Heart failure patients * Age ≥40 yrs * Stable chronic heart failure * Systolic dysfunction determined by cardiac MRI with left ventricle ejection fraction 40% or less * Healthy Volunteers * Age ≥40 yrs * No diagnosed heart failure or sarcopenia Exclusion Criteria: * Heart failure patients • Advanced liver disease, advanced cancer, advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease * Healthy volunteers (controls) * Advanced liver disease, advanced cancer, advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease * Contraindications to MRI Contraindications to MRI * Heart pacemaker/defibrillator * Electronic/implanted stimulators or devices, including deep brain stimulator, vagus nerve stimulator, bladder stimulator, spine stimulator, neurostimulators; implanted electrodes or wires * Cochlear implant or other ear implants * Implanted drug pumps (insulin, narcotic/pain medications, drugs to treat spasticity) * Programmable shunt * Aneurysm clips and coils * Stents * Filters (for example, blood clot filters) * Metal fragment in body or eye (eg, BBs, bullets, shrapnel, metal pieces or shavings)
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States
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