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Hydrocortisone Plus Fludrocortisone in High-risk Patients Undergoing for Cardiac Surgery

Hydrocortisone Plus Fludrocortisone in High-risk Patients Undergoing for Cardiac Surgery

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07037043
Acronym
VASOCORT
Enrollment
196
Registered
2025-06-25
Start date
2025-04-30
Completion date
2028-06-01
Last updated
2026-06-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Inflammation in Cardiac Surgery

Keywords

Control of inflammation in cardiac surgery

Brief summary

Cardiac surgery is a high-risk surgery and is associated with a rate of postoperative adverse outcomes. Like many others major surgery, cardiac surgery procedures induce a proinflammatory phase usually counterbalanced with an immunosuppressive phase so the immune response remained balanced. In some cases, the immune response might be dysregulated with a more pronounced pro inflammatory state that compromises organ perfusion and with the occurrence of organ failure. From a mechanistic approach, the relationship between organ failure is complex and multifactorial with a high level of proinflammatory cytokines, a decrease in microcirculation, an endothelial dysfunction and an activation of coagulation and over. The clinical expression is an increase in vasopressor exposure and dose, an increase in mortality and in adverse outcomes with a predominance of acute kidney injury. Various therapies have been assessed to manage cardiac surgery related sepsis including glucocorticoid therapy. Briefly, two major randomized trials assessed glucocorticoid therapy solely in scheduled cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. No clinical benefit was demonstrated in term of reduction in postoperative mortality or adverse outcomes. Since, data support that the selection of patients at risk is crucial to demonstrate such a strategy. Indeed, data support that surprisingly some patients will have a very light immune response reflected by a low pro inflammatory cytokine. The hypothesis is that the combination glucocorticoid and fludrocortisone could decrease adverse outcomes in selected patients.

Interventions

* Hydrocortisone 200 mg/day for 5 days or until ICU discharge, starting at the initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), administered intravenously via syringe pump in a double-blind manner * Fludrocortisone 50 µg/day in the morning for 5 days or until ICU discharge, administered orally or via nasogastric tube (if the patient is sedated), diluted in a glass of water, in a double-blind manner

DRUGplacebo of hydrocortisone plus fludrocortisone

* Placebo for hydrocortisone (0.9% NaCl) administered following the same protocol as fludrocortisone in the intervention group * Placebo for fludrocortisone (capsule containing microcrystalline cellulose diluted in a glass of water) administered following the same protocol as fludrocortisone in the intervention group

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens
Lead SponsorOTHER
University Hospital, Rouen
CollaboratorOTHER
University Hospital, Lille
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age \> 18 years. * Patient at intermediate/high risk (EuroSCORE II \> 4%). * Patient admitted for scheduled cardiac surgery: * Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). * Aortic valve replacement. * Mitral valve repair or replacement. * Surgery of the aortic root (aortic tube, Bentall procedure, Tirone David procedure, or other). * Combined surgery. * Patient undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). * Informed consent signed by the patient.

Exclusion criteria

* Endocarditis * Off-pump heart surgery * Heart transplantation or long-term ventricular assist device (VAD) * Emergency surgery: aortic dissection, emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) * Failure to wean from CPB requiring short-term mechanical support (intra-aortic balloon pump, ECMO) * Hypothermic surgery * History of cardiac surgery * Patient on long-term corticosteroid therapy * Autoimmune disease or chronic inflammatory condition * End-stage renal disease on long-term dialysis * Contraindications to the administration of hydrocortisone and/or fludrocortisone according to the summary of product characteristics (SmPC) * Pregnant or breastfeeding woman * Patient under legal protection (guardianship, curators, or judicial safeguard).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Variation of acute kidney injury occurence between both groupsup to 7 days
Variation of postoperative pulmonary complication occurrence between both groupsup to 7 days
Variation of number of norepinephrine requirement between both groupsup to 7 days

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
variation of postoperative atrial fibrillation occurence between both groupsup to 7 daysPostoperative atrial fibrillation: defined as a new-onset arrhythmia within 7 days after surgery, documented by an electrocardiogram showing absence of P waves and narrow, irregular QRS complexes
variation of myocardial infarction occurence between both groupsup to 7 daysMyocardial infarction: defined according to the Fourth Universal Definition
variation of stroke occurence between both groupsup to 7 daysStroke: defined as the sudden onset of a neurological deficit confirmed by brain imaging
Variation of total amount of norepinephrine between both groupsup to 7 daysThe total amount of norepinephrine will be expressed in milligrams and will correspond to the cumulative dose administered from ICU admission until the 7th postoperative day.
variation of occurrence of glucocorticoid side effect between both groupsup to 7 daysglucocorticoid side effects are hyperglycemia, hypernatremia and infections
Variation of 28-day mortality between both groupsat 28 days

Countries

France

Contacts

CONTACTChristophe Beyls, MD
Beyls.christophe@chu-amiens.fr(33)3 22 08 78 66

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 4, 2026