Portable MRI to detect brain injury after cardiac arrest
Prospective Identification of Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury Using Portable Magnetic Resonance Imaging
This will test whether a bedside portable MRI can detect hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in adults who are unresponsive after resuscitation from cardiac arrest.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 60 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Yale University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (New Haven, Connecticut) |
| Trial ID | NCT07197918 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This observational study compares low-field portable MRI performed at the bedside with conventional high-field MRI to measure the severity of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury after cardiac arrest. Investigators will obtain early portable MRI scans within 6 and 24 hours after return of spontaneous circulation and perform serial imaging over subsequent days to track injury evolution. The study measures inter-rater agreement between readers and the specificity and positive predictive value of early diffusion-weighted imaging lesions versus conventional MRI and clinical outcomes. Enrollment is at a single center and focuses on adults receiving temperature control who are unresponsive after cardiac arrest.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults (≥18) who remain unresponsive after in- or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, are receiving temperature control, and for whom conventional MRI is clinically indicated.
Not a fit: Patients with standard MRI contraindications, inability to tolerate 30 minutes supine, clear diffuse severe injury on early CT, or who are already awake are unlikely to benefit from this imaging-focused study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, portable MRI could enable safer bedside brain imaging at hospitals without high-field scanners, reduce risky transports, and help identify patients most likely to benefit from therapies or clinical trials.
How similar studies have performed: Early feasibility studies of low-field portable MRI in critical care settings have shown promise for bedside imaging, but this approach has not been widely validated specifically for predicting hypoxic-ischemic brain injury after cardiac arrest.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Unresponsive immediately after ROSC from IHCA or OHCA * Age ≥ 18 years of age * Conventional MRI is clinically indicated * Treatment with temperature control Exclusion Criteria: * MRI contraindication according to the American Heart Association guidelines * Inability to tolerate supine positioning for 30 minutes * Diffuse loss of grey-white differentiation and sulcal effacement on head computed tomography within 6 hours of ROSC
Where this trial is running
New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale New Haven Hospital — New Haven, Connecticut, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Rachel Beekman, MD — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Rachel Beekman, MD
- Email: rachel.beekman@yale.edu
- Phone: 516-965-4251
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.