Could a pill shield the brain and kidneys during heart surgery?
NCT ID NCT05812755
First seen Aug 06, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether vericiguat, a drug that relaxes blood vessels, can protect the body during heart surgery. About 170 adults scheduled for open-heart surgery will receive either vericiguat or a placebo starting two days before the operation. Researchers will measure blood vessel function and markers of kidney and brain injury to see if vericiguat reduces damage. The goal is to understand why some patients experience kidney or brain problems after heart surgery and whether this drug can help.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- vericiguat (a soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulator)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, vericiguat could become a standard pre-surgery treatment to reduce kidney and brain injury in heart surgery patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mechanistic trial, not a proof of cure. Results may not translate to better outcomes, and vericiguat can cause low blood pressure or other side effects.
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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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 170 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2029
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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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: 1. Age ≥18 years 2. Elective open-heart surgery, defined as surgery on the heart or aorta that requires sternotomy or thoracotomy Exclusion Criteria: 1. Intolerance to vericiguat 2. Use of other soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulators or current use of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors 3. Pregnancy or breast feeding. Pregnancy will be excluded in women of child-bearing potential by a urine or serum beta hcg test 4. Renal replacement therapy within 30 days prior to screening 5. Estimated glomerular filtration rate \<15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation at time of screening 6. Systolic blood pressure less than 120 mmHg at the time of screening 7. Prior kidney transplantation 8. History of significant liver dysfunction (defined as Child-Pugh class C) 9. Surgery scheduled to be performed with circulatory arrest 10. Surgery scheduled to correct a major congenital heart defect 11. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) prior to surgery 12. Active systemic infection or surgery for infectious endocarditis 13. Ventricular assist device or intraaortic balloon pump support prior to surgery 14. Prisoners
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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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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37204, United States
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