CORTISHOCK-P: Trial of Corticosteroids in Inflammation-Enriched Heart Failure Cardiogenic Shock

NCT07461961 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: PHASE2 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2026-03-10

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This pilot study investigates whether giving a short course of intravenous corticosteroids (methylprednisolone) alongside standard medical care can help patients recovering from heart failure-related cardiogenic shock. Heart failure-related cardiogenic shock happens when chronic heart dysfunction causes poor blood circulation and congestion throughout the body. Often, this condition triggers severe inflammation, making it harder for the heart and other organs to recover, even when temporary mechanical heart pumps are used to support blood flow.

The study aims to see if reducing this inflammation with corticosteroids is safe and can help patients get better faster. Researchers will enroll 30 adult patients hospitalized with early-stage (SCAI Stage B or C) cardiogenic shock related to heart failure. To participate, patients must also show high levels of inflammation in their blood, specifically a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level of 20 mg/L or higher

Participants will be randomly assigned by chance to one of two groups. One group will receive the standard of care alone. The other group will receive the standard of care plus a 7-day course of intravenous methylprednisolone.

The main goal of the study is to measure the change in inflammation levels (hsCRP) over 7 days. Researchers will also monitor how well the patients' organs recover, track their need for blood pressure medications or mechanical heart pumps, and monitor for any side effects to ensure the treatment is safe

Conditions

Interventions

DRUG

Methylprednisone

Intravenous methylprednisolone administered as an adjunctive therapy to target systemic inflammation. The dosing regimen is 80 mg IV once daily for 3 days, followed by a taper of 0.5 mg/kg/day for 4 additional days (total of 7 days). This regimen aims to provide potent early anti-inflammatory effects while minimizing fluid retention and adverse events

OTHER

Standard of Care (SOC)

Routine medical care and management for heart failure-related cardiogenic shock, which may include vasoactive medications and temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) per institutional protocols.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Brigham and Women's Hospital

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-07-01
Primary Completion
2028-02-01
Completion
2029-02-01
FDA Drug
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07461961 on ClinicalTrials.gov