AKI-related delirium after heart surgery
Official title: Acute kidney injury-associated delirium after cardiac surgery
Funded at University of Iowa · NIH-11477480 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant funds research to understand why some people develop delirium after heart surgery when they also have acute kidney injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Iowa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Iowa City, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $634,444 |
| NIH project number | 7R01HL178999-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11477480 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years or older undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.
✕Less likely to help
People not undergoing heart surgery or without AKI-related delirium factors may see little direct benefit.
What this research studies
If you’re having heart surgery, researchers want to learn why delirium happens more often when the kidneys are injured. The study will follow about 300 adults undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery to measure how often delirium occurs, what it looks like, and related blood and tissue signals. The team will examine inflammation and blood vessel activation during the operation to see how these processes relate to delirium in people with AKI. The goal is to identify targets that could lead to better prevention or treatment of delirium after surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding these mechanisms could lead to safer surgeries and fewer delirium episodes for patients with AKI.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows inflammation and endothelial changes are linked to delirium in some surgical patients, but this is the first prospective study focusing on CS-AKI-Delirium with 300 participants.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Iowa
Iowa City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Loren Elisa — University of Iowa
- Study coordinator: Smith, Loren Elisa
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Using smart computer predictions to prevent kidney injury after heart surgery
A machine-learning approach uses routinely collected hospital data to predict who might develop acute kidney injury after heart surgery, so clinicians can act early.
-
Norepinephrine vs phenylephrine to reduce kidney injury after major non-cardiac surgery
A large, real-world trial will compare two common vasopressors to see which helps prevent kidney injury after major non-heart surgeries.
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Fluvoxamine to prevent delirium after non‑cardiac surgery
Seeing if taking the antidepressant fluvoxamine around non‑cardiac surgery can lower inflammation and reduce the chance or severity of postoperative delirium in adults, including those with Alzheimer‑type dementia.
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Cardiac Surgery Anesthesia Best Practices to Reduce Kidney Injury
A research project at a major university aims to reduce kidney injury after heart surgery by improving anesthesia and intraoperative care.
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Tailoring blood pressure to protect brain blood flow during and after heart surgery
Aims to see if monitoring each person's brain blood-flow limits and personalizing blood-pressure targets during and after heart surgery reduces delirium and longer-term memory and thinking problems.
-
Fluvoxamine to reduce delirium after non-cardiac surgery
This project gives fluvoxamine around non-cardiac surgery to adults with Alzheimer-type or related dementias to try to lower the chance or severity of postoperative delirium.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.