MRI Assessment of Pulmonary Edema in Acute Heart Failure (MAP-AHF)

May 4, 2026 updated by: University of Alberta
Researchers are testing a more accurate way to measure how much fluid is in the lungs (also called pulmonary edema, or "increased lung water") in people with Heart Failure (HF) using MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). There is little known about the exact level of lung water in patients with AHF or how these levels change from the time of hospital admission to discharge. The purpose of this research study is to measure the lung water in patients hospitalized for HF, to determine the change in lung water over the course of hospitalization and treatment, and to find out if lung water levels can predict if patients are higher or lower risk for returning to the hospital or dying from heart failure.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Heart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs and Acute Heart Failure is a sudden worsening of this condition. It is associated with many symptoms but most commonly includes shortness of breath due to pulmonary edema (or increased "lung water").

A physical exam and chest x-ray are commonly used to diagnose AHF and estimate the amount of increased lung water in patients with AHF. This study will use images from MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans to obtain a more accurate measurement of the increased lung water in AHF patients. Lung water will be measured via MRI at hospital admission and discharge to find out the change in lung water over the course of hospitalization and treatment. The investigators will collect NT-proBNP and perform a chest x-ray upon hospital admission and again upon discharge, if not already done as part of usual care. The investigators will follow medical records for up to 5 years after hospitalization to see if the accurate lung water measurements obtained in hospital can predict long term outcomes. This is a multi-centre project and a total of 300 patients will be recruited to participate.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

300

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

    • Alberta
      • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
        • Active, not recruiting
        • University of Alberta
    • Ontario
      • Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of acute heart failure

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older and willing/able to provide informed consent
  • patients being treated for acute heart failure (including those patients with both reduced and preserved ejection fraction)
  • patients receiving medical therapy for pulmonary edema by current standard of care (including oral or IV diuretics)
  • patients identified within 48 hours of initiation of medical therapy for pulmonary edema, defined as the time of first diuretic (IV or PO) or escalation of existing diuretic therapy administered within the ED or hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

  • contraindication to MRI
  • patient too critically ill/unstable as per the clinical care team for transport to MRI scanner within the required scanning window
  • moderate to severe dementia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Single Arm
MRI studies (non-contrast) will consist of a free-breathing localizer (~10 seconds) followed by a free-breathing yarnball water density scan, for a total MRI time of < 3 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Magnitude of lung water density measured with MRI at Hospital Admission
Time Frame: Baseline (hospital admission)
Lung water density (0-100%) is the fraction of lung tissue that contains water
Baseline (hospital admission)
Difference in lung water density measured with MRI at hospital admission and hospital discharge
Time Frame: 7 days
Absolute change in lung water density from baseline (hospital admission) to hospital discharge. Lung water density will be 0%-100% at each time point.
7 days
Number and timing of clinical events and their statistical association with Outcome 1 (Magnitude of lung water density measured with MRI at Hospital Admission)
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
Clinical events include cardiovascular hospitalization, cardiovascular emergency department visits or death
Up to 5 years
Number and timing of clinical events and their statistical association with Outcome 2 (Difference in lung water density measured with MRI at hospital admission and hospital discharge)
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
Clinical events include cardiovascular hospitalization, cardiovascular emergency
Up to 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 2, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 22, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

June 26, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 4, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Pro00091033

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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