Fluvoxamine to prevent delirium after non‑cardiac surgery
Official title: Mitigating Delirium with Fluvoxamine Treatment for Non-Cardiac Surgery (MD FluNCS): Feasibility Trials & Mechanistic Insights
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11383660 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $60,596 |
| NIH project number | 3R21AG086855-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11383660 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults, especially older adults with Alzheimer‑type or related dementias who are scheduled for non‑cardiac surgery, would be the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People having cardiac surgery, those who cannot safely take fluvoxamine because of drug interactions or allergy, or those not undergoing surgery are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
You would take fluvoxamine around the time of a planned non‑cardiac surgery to see if it helps prevent delirium. The team will run multisite feasibility trials to test safety, side effects, and whether people are willing to join a larger study. Researchers will measure blood markers of inflammation (like IL‑6) and brain activity changes with EEG to understand how the drug might work. The study will track symptoms, adverse effects, and interactions with other medications common in older adults.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower the risk or severity of delirium after surgery and help protect thinking and recovery in older adults.
How similar studies have gone: There are supportive animal studies and case reports suggesting fluvoxamine may reduce inflammation and help delirium, but no large randomized trials have proven this approach yet.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Palanca, Ben Julian — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Palanca, Ben Julian
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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AKI-related delirium after heart surgery
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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.
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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.
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Understanding brain blood flow and its effects on recovery after heart surgery
This study is looking at how blood flow to the brain after heart surgery can affect your thinking and memory, and it aims to find the best ways to manage your blood pressure during recovery to help prevent problems like confusion and memory loss.
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AI-powered system to improve teamwork in cardiac surgery
A research project is testing an AI-driven system that listens to team conversations during heart surgeries to spot teamwork patterns and give real-time feedback to improve patient safety.
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READI-SET-GO: Improving Delirium Screening for Hospitalized Older Adults
A hospital-based program tests how well routine nurse delirium screening using UB-CAM works when integrated into the electronic health record to improve outcomes for older patients.
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.