Recruiting

Occult Perfusion

Sponsor:

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Code:

NCT07897370

Conditions

Cardiac Arrest, Out-Of-Hospital

Hypotension

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this study is to describe the population of patients presenting after out of hospital cardiac arrest with occult perfusion, defined as a patient without a palpable pulse but with some evidence of pulsatile arterial flow. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • To measure the prevalence of patients of patients presenting to the emergency department after out of hospital cardiac arrest with occult perfusion
  • To measure the association between occult perfusion and survival
  • Compare survival between patients with occult perfusion that were treated as pulseless by ACLS interventions vs those treated as hypotensive

Researchers will describe the percentage of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest presenting to the emergency department without a pulse but with occult perfusion. Researchers will also compare survival endpoints (ROSC, Survival to hospital Admission, and Survival to Hospital Discharge) in pulseless patients with occult perfusion treated with ACLS interventions only and pulseless patients with occult perfusion treated as if they had pulsatile arterial flow.

Participants will undergo resuscitation based on decisions by the clinical team who incorporate echo and/or vascular ultrasound during the first three rounds of CPR. The resuscitation will continue until the patient demonstrates return of spontaneous circulation or until the clinical team halts resuscitative efforts due to futility.

Conditions

Cardiac Arrest, Out-Of-Hospital

Hypotension

Study ID

NCT07897370

Start date

Oct 1, 2026

Status verified date

Oct, 2026

Completion date

Oct 1, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar 1, 2029

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients presenting following out-of-hospital atraumatic cardiac arrest

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Resuscitation ended due to end-of-life decisions
  • Documented allergy to ultrasound gel
  • Technical malfunction of ultrasound machine during imaging that prevents use
  • Ultrasound machine unable to record images
  • Cardiac Ultrasound not performed during first, second or third pause in CPR AND vascular Ultrasound not performed during first, second or third pause in CPR

Study Design

Enrollment

1400 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

Occult Perfusion treated as Cardiac Arrest

Patients presenting after cardiac arrest without a palpable pulse during pauses in CPR but echo or vascular ultrasound findings consistent with pulsatile arterial flow and treated as cardiac arrest with ACLS intervention such as rapid resumption of CPR, bolus epinephrine, or defibrillation.

Occult Perfusion treated as Hypotension

Patients presenting after cardiac arrest without a palpable pulse during pauses in CPR but with echo or vascular ultrasound findings consistent with pulsatile arterial flow AND treated as hypotension with non-ACLS intervention such as continuous adrenergic agents, intravenous fluid, and extend pause in CPR to verify the presence of a measurable blood pressure.

Primary outcome measure

  • Survival Rate (to Hospital Admission) [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

UmassMemorial Medical Center

Recruiting

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, 01655

Contacts

Romolo Gaspari, MD

508-334-1400Romolo.Gaspari@umassmemorial.org

More Information

Sponsor

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Last update posted

Oct 27, 2026

Last verified

Oct, 2026

Keywords

  • Echocardiography
  • Vascular Ultrasound
  • Cardiac Arrest
  • Out of hospital cardiac arrest
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-10-28. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Massachusetts, Worcester on 2026-10-27. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.