Investigating immediate versus delayed coronary angiography for cardiac arrest patients

Direct or Subacute Coronary Angiography in Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest - a Prospective, Randomized Study

NA · Uppsala University · NCT02309151

This study is testing if doing heart imaging right after a cardiac arrest can help people survive longer compared to waiting a few days to do the imaging.

Quick facts

PhaseNA
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment1006 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorUppsala University (other)
Locations21 sites (Aalborg and 20 other locations)
Trial IDNCT02309151 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This prospective, randomized study aims to determine if performing acute coronary angiography within 120 minutes improves 30-day survival rates in patients who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without ST-elevation on their ECG after restoration of spontaneous circulation. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either immediate coronary angiography or delayed angiography, which may occur three days post-arrest. The study will include 1006 patients and will assess quality of life and health economics at six months, alongside extensive neurocognitive testing.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults who have experienced a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with restoration of spontaneous circulation lasting more than 20 minutes and no ST-elevation on their ECG.

Not a fit: Patients under 18 years old, those with ST-elevation on ECG, or those with obvious extracardiac causes of cardiac arrest will not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could significantly improve survival rates for patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have explored similar approaches, but this specific strategy of immediate versus delayed angiography in this patient population is novel.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Witnessed out of hospital cardiac arrest
* Restoration of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) \>20 minutes
* Coronary angiography is expected to be performed within 120 minutes from inclusion and randomization at hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient age \<18 years
* Obvious extracardiac genesis of cardiac arrest such as trauma, hemorrhagic shock, and / or asphyxia (eg drowning, suffocation, hanging, exposure to fire smoke)
* Terminally ill patients with a life expectancy of less than 1 year
* Patients with ST-elevation
* Known pregnancy
* Patient awake GCS \>8 (Glasgow Coma Scale)

Where this trial is running

Aalborg and 20 other locations

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.

View on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Conditions: Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.