Arm cuff before surgery may shield brain from injury, new trial hopes to prove
NCT ID NCT07420153
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a simple procedure called remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) — briefly restricting blood flow to an arm or leg — can reduce brain injury after non-cardiac surgery. The trial will include 216 older adults at risk for postoperative delirium. Researchers will measure a protein in the blood that signals nerve damage, comparing those who receive RIPC the day before surgery to those who receive routine care.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- remote ischemic preconditioning (a procedure using brief blood flow restriction to an arm or leg)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost way to protect the brain during surgery and reduce confusion or memory problems afterward.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial (216 people) testing a biomarker, not clinical outcomes. The procedure may not reduce actual brain injury or delirium, and results may not apply to all surgery patients.
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 216 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
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.
- Ages
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50 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: * patients (≥50 years) scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery with general anesthesia * patients at risk for postoperative delirium, defined as the presence of ≥2 of the following established risk factors: age ≥65 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification of ≥III, Charlson Comorbidity, planned surgical duration \>180 minutes, polypharmacy (regular intake of more than five medications), symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 ≥10 points) Exclusion criteria: * patients in whom RIPC cannot be safely applied due to relevant peripheral arterial disease (defined as Fontaine stage ≥II), lymphedema, recent upper-arm surgery, trauma, or skin lesions at the arm * patients with acute coronary syndrome (within the past month) * patients with surgery in the previous month * patients with intracranial surgery * patients with pre-existing delirium * patients with severe cognitive impairment preventing reliable delirium assessment * patients with current treatment with sulfonamides due to potential interference with ischemic preconditioning mechanisms * patients with previous participation in the SHIELD trial
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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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University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
RECRUITINGHamburg, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, 20246, Germany