The Importance of Wnt-signaling After Cardiac Surgery

Alain Rudiger

Status: Completed

Conditions: Inflammation; Thoracic Surgery

Treatments: Other: Blood sampling

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04058496

Wnt-study

Details and patient eligibility

About

Cardiac surgery saves lives when patients suffer from cardiac disease. Local inflammation is important for tissue repair and wound healing after such an operation. Inflammation starts already when the patient is treated in the intensive care unit. When inflammatory proteins (cytokines) are released into the circulation, they cause also a systemic inflammation, which alerts the immune system of the body and activates defence mechanisms (=adaptive response). In some patients, systemic inflammation is out of control thereby causing organ dysfunctions, shock, and in the most severe cases even death (=maladaptive response). The aim of this study is to investigate the early phase of inflammation after the operation. Repeated blood samples will be taken of patients undergoing cardiac surgery to describe the patterns and dynamics of inflammation proteins. A better understanding of these mechanisms will potentially lead to improved treatment of patients after cardiac surgery.

Full description

The aim of this project is to understand early inflammation mechanisms after cardiac surgery. Therefore, repeated blood samples of patients undergoing cardiac surgery will be taken. Patients are selected after "open" cardiac surgery (via sternotomy), when when they require postoperative care in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. The blood samples will be analysed in collaboration with the Inflammation Research Unit of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University Hospital Zurich.

Enrollment: 64 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Cardiac surgery via sternotomy
• Coronary-bypass bypass surgery with or without valve surgery
• Postoperative hospitalisation in the cardio-surgical ICU
• Available informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Preoperative infections (e.g. endocarditis)
• Preoperative use of steroids or other immunosuppression

Trial design

64 participants in 3 patient groups

1

Description:

Coronary artery bypass surgery off-pump (n=24)

Treatment:

Other: Blood sampling

2

Description:

Coronary artery bypass surgery on-pump (n=16)

Treatment:

Other: Blood sampling

3

Description:

Coronary artery bypass surgery plus valve surgery (n=20)

Treatment:

Other: Blood sampling