RecruitingOBSERVATIONAL

STICH3C Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Observational Study

This study aims to understand how different features of your heart, seen on special MRI scans, might predict how well you recover after common heart procedures. If you have a weakened heart and blockages in your arteries, doctors might suggest treatments like stents or bypass surgery. This research will look for specific patterns in heart tissue before and after these procedures. The goal is to see if these patterns are linked to future health problems such as heart failure, needing to be readmitted to hospital, or even death. By finding these links, doctors hope to improve care and help predict who might benefit most from certain treatments.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Sponsor

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Enrolment target

200

Start

01 Mar 2024

Estimated completion

01 Jan 2030

Ischemic Left Ventricle Systolic Dysfunction Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease

What is this study about?

This research, called STICH3C, is looking into how our hearts recover after treatments for blocked arteries. Many people have a condition where their heart muscle is weakened due to problems with blood flow, often caused by narrowed or blocked arteries. To help restore blood flow, doctors often recommend procedures like fitting stents (tiny tubes to open arteries) or bypass surgery (creating new pathways for blood).

Even after these procedures, some people might still develop serious health problems like heart failure or need to go back to hospital. This study uses special heart scans, called Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), to get very detailed pictures of the heart muscle. They want to see if specific findings on these MRI scans, taken after the heart procedure, can help predict who might face these future health issues. This could include seeing if there's still some heart muscle at risk, or if there's scarring that wasn't caused by a heart attack.

The main aim is to understand if looking closely at the heart tissue with MRI can give doctors a better idea of how a patient's heart will remodel (change) and recover in the long term. This knowledge could eventually help doctors make more informed decisions about treatment and follow-up care, leading to better outcomes for patients with weakened hearts.

Key takeaways

This study uses MRI scans to predict recovery after heart procedures.
It focuses on people with weakened hearts and blocked arteries.
Researchers are looking for links between heart tissue patterns and future health issues.
The findings could help doctors improve care for heart patients.
Participation involves MRI scans and health follow-up, but no experimental treatments.

Who may be eligible?

To be considered for this study, you need to be at least 18 years old. You must also have a specific type of heart problem where your heart's main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) isn't working as strongly as it should, often due to blocked arteries. This is usually measured by a value called 'ejection fraction' being 40% or less, which is checked with a heart scan like an echo or MRI.

Another key requirement is that you have significant blockages in multiple heart arteries, or a major blockage in the main artery supplying the heart. These blockages must be confirmed by specific tests, and you must be planning to have either a stent procedure (PCI) or bypass surgery (CABG) within the next three months.

There are also a few reasons you might not be able to join. For example, if you have other serious heart valve problems, or if you can't have an MRI scan due to certain medical implants. You also can't participate if you have an active cancer or other severe organ problems that mean you're not expected to live for at least five more years.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you 18 years old or older?
Has a doctor told you that your heart's main pumping chamber is not working as strongly as it should (LVEF 40% or less)?
Are you planning to have stents or bypass surgery for blocked heart arteries in the next 3 months?
Do you have multiple blocked heart arteries or a major blockage in the main heart artery?
Are you able to have an MRI scan (e.g., no incompatible metal implants)?
Do you have a life expectancy of at least 5 years?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

This is an 'observational' study, which means you won't be given any experimental treatments. Instead, the study will involve having specific MRI scans of your heart. These scans will look at how your heart tissue is structured and how it's affecting its function, both before and after your planned heart procedure (stent or bypass surgery).

The researchers will then follow your health over time to see if any of the findings from your MRI scans are linked to future events like developing heart failure, needing to be admitted to hospital for heart problems, or other serious cardiovascular events. The total duration of your participation, including scans and follow-up, will be explained fully by the study team.

Potential risks and benefits

Participating in this study might not directly benefit you, but the information gained could help future patients with similar heart conditions by improving doctors' understanding of recovery after heart procedures. The main risks involve those associated with standard MRI scanning, such as reactions to the contrast dye used, or discomfort from lying still. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without affecting your medical care.

Locations (9)

NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
Verified postcode
Brooklyn, United States· Recruiting
New York Presbyterian - Queens
Verified postcode
Flushing, United States· Recruiting
Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork Presbyterian Hospital
Verified postcode
New York, United States· Recruiting
MU Vienna Austria
Verified postcode
Vienna, Austria· Recruiting
Libin Cardiovascular Institute
Verified postcode
Calgary, Canada· Recruiting
Universite Laval Quebec (CRIUCPQ) Canada
Verified postcode
Québec, Canada· Recruiting
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Verified postcode
Toronto, Canada· Recruiting
Ruijin Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Verified postcode
Shanghai, China· Recruiting
Dedinje Cardiovascular Institute
Verified postcode
Belgrade, Serbia· Recruiting

Common questions

What is an MRI scan?

An MRI scan uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create detailed pictures of your organs and tissues, including your heart, without using X-rays.

What is 'heart failure'?

Heart failure means your heart isn't pumping blood around your body as efficiently as it should, leading to symptoms like tiredness and breathlessness.

What's the difference between a stent and bypass surgery?

A stent is a small mesh tube placed in a blocked artery to hold it open. Bypass surgery uses a blood vessel from elsewhere in your body to create a new path around a blocked artery.

Will taking part change my heart treatment?

No, this is an observational study, so it will not change the standard heart treatment you receive from your doctors.

Is the MRI scan safe?

MRI scans are generally very safe. However, they use strong magnets, so people with certain metal implants cannot have them. The study team will check if it's safe for you.

How to find out more

Mario Gaudino, MD, PhD, MSCE, FEBCTS, FACC

sticos@med.cornell.edu 212.746.1812 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.