How red blood cells drive inflammation after heart bypass in children
Official title: Mechanisms by which red blood cells contribute cardiopulmonary bypass associated inflammation
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11311851 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Looking at whether damaged red blood cells make the inflammation and organ problems children often get after heart bypass surgery worse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $826,322 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL170607-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11311851 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants and children undergoing open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass—particularly those who receive blood-primed circuits—are the most relevant candidates for this research.
✕Less likely to help
Children who do not undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (for example, those having catheter-based procedures) or patients whose care never involves blood priming may not directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If my child needs open-heart surgery with a heart-lung machine, researchers will examine how red blood cells change during bypass and whether those changes trigger the body's inflammation response. They will study how high shear stress and exposure to donor blood used to fill the bypass circuit injure red blood cells, using laboratory tests, animal models, and surgical samples relevant to infants and children. By comparing circuits filled with donor blood versus clear crystalloid fluid, they hope to trace how exogenous red blood cells affect inflammation after surgery. The aim is to find ways to change pump design or treatment so kids have less inflammation and organ problems after surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to changes in bypass techniques, blood handling, or treatments that reduce inflammation and organ injury in children after heart surgery.
How similar studies have gone: Prior laboratory and animal work indicates red blood cells can affect innate immunity, but applying this idea to prevent CPB-related inflammation in children is a new and still largely unproven approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nigam, Vishal — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Nigam, Vishal
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This study is looking at how a heart-lung machine used during heart surgery for kids can cause inflammation in their bodies, and it aims to find ways to reduce this inflammation to help them recover better after surgery.
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.