Early Detection of Brain Injury After Congenital Heart Surgery in Infants

March 6, 2026 updated by: University Medical Centre Ljubljana

Early Detection of Brain Damage in Children With Congenital Heart Disease After Cardiovascular Surgery

Infants with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation are at risk for perioperative hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. This prospective, single-centre observational cohort study will evaluate perioperative dynamics of serum biomarkers of neuronal, glial, and axonal injury and relate biomarker patterns to postoperative EEG changes and brain MRI findings, aiming to improve early detection of brain injury and identify children at higher risk of hypoxic encephalopathy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This prospective observational study will enrol 30 children up to 1 year of age with congenital heart disease requiring surgery with extracorporeal circulation at a single paediatric intensive care centre. After parental/guardian consent, peripheral blood will be collected for ELISA measurement of secretoneurin, GFAP, neuron-specific enolase, S100B, UCHL-1, neurofilament light chain, and total tau at the following time points: within 24 hours preoperatively; 1 hour after arrival from the operating theatre; and 24, 48, 72, 96 hours and 7 days postoperatively. All participants will undergo EEG within the first 24 hours and on postoperative day 7. Between postoperative week 1 and week 2, 15 participants will undergo brain MRI under sedation or general anaesthesia. Perioperative and postoperative clinical variables will be abstracted (e.g., cardiopulmonary bypass duration, major artery clamp duration, inotrope/vasoactive support, arrhythmias, and markers of organ hypoperfusion including lactate and regional oxygen saturation). Associations between biomarker trajectories and EEG/MRI evidence of brain injury will be assessed using repeated-measures modelling; ROC analyses will explore biomarker thresholds where applicable.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
30

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • Slovenia
      • Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1000
        • University Medical Center

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

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Pediatric Clinic UMC Ljubljana

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Infants/children up to 1 year of age with congenital heart disease undergoing surgery requiring extracorporeal blood circulation (cardiopulmonary bypass).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Congenital heart disease not requiring extracorporeal circulation during surgery
  • Inoperable congenital heart defect
  • Hypoxic encephalopathy at birth requiring therapeutic hypothermia

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

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
1 (single cohort; no control group)
Infants (≤1 year) with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery requiring extracorporeal circulation.
Other: Observational study: blood analisys, EEG, MRI
Observational study: blood analisys, EEG, MRI

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Concentration of serum brain injury biomarker concentrations (ELISA panel)
Time Frame: Within 24 hours pre-op; 1 hour post-op arrival; 24, 48, 72, 96 hours; and 7 days post-op.
Serum concentrations of secretoneurin, GFAP, NSE, S100B, UCHL-1, neurofilament light chain, and total tau measured in peripheral blood.
Within 24 hours pre-op; 1 hour post-op arrival; 24, 48, 72, 96 hours; and 7 days post-op.
Number of Participants with postoperative EEG abnormalities
Time Frame: Post-op day 0-1 and post-op day 7
EEG findings assessed within the first 24 hours and on postoperative day 7
Post-op day 0-1 and post-op day 7
Presence and types of intracranial injuries seen on brain MRI (subset)
Time Frame: Post-op week 1-2.
Presence/type/frequency of brain MRI findings performed in a subset of 15 participants between postoperative week 1 and week 2
Post-op week 1-2.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University Medical Centre Ljubljana

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • 1. Wernovsky G, Licht DJ. Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children With Congenital Heart Disease-What Can We Impact? Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2016 Aug;17(8 Suppl 1):S232-42. 2. Zhu S, Sai X, Lin J, Deng G, Zhao M, Nasser MI, Zhu P. Mechanisms of perioperative brain damage in children with congenital heart disease. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Dec;132:110957. 3. Fenton KN, Freeman K, Glogowski K, Fogg S, Duncan KF. The significance of baseline cerebral oxygen saturation in children undergoing congenital heart surgery. Am J Surg. 2005 Aug;190(2):260-3. 4. Hasslacher J, Lehner GF, Harler U, Beer R, Ulmer H, Kirchmair R, Fischer-Colbrie R, Bellmann R, Dunzendorfer S, Joannidis M. Secretoneurin as a marker for hypoxic brain injury after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Intensive Care Med. 2014 Oct;40(10):1518-27. 5. Wechselberger K, Schmid A, Posod A, Höck M, Neubauer V, Fischer-Colbrie R, Kiechl-Kohlendorfer U, Griesmaier E. Secretoneurin Serum Levels in Healthy Term Neonates and Neonates with Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy. Neonatology. 2016;110(1):14-20. 6. Zhang S, Wu M, Peng C, Zhao G, Gu R. GFAP expression in injured astrocytes in rats. Exp Ther Med. 2017 Sep;14(3):1905-1908. 7. Coşkun Çeltik, Betül Acunaş, Naci Öner, Özer Pala,.Neuron-specific enolase as a marker of the severity and outcome of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, Brain and Development. 2004;398-402. 8. Snyder-Ramos, S. A., Gruhlke, T., Bauer, H., Bauer, M., Luntz, A. P., Motsch, J., … & Böttiger, B. W. (2004). Cerebral and extracerebral release of protein s100b in cardiac surgical patients. Anaesthesia, 59(4), 344-349. 9. Matuszczak, E., Tylicka, M., Komarowska, M. D., Debek, W. & Hermanowicz, A. Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1-Physiology and pathology. Cell Biochem. Funct. 38, 533-540 (2020) 10. Kirschen MP, Yehya N, Graham K, Kilbaugh T, Berg RA, Topjian A, Diaz-Arrastia R. Circulating Neurofilament Light Chain Is Associated With Survival After Paediatric Cardiac Arrest. Pediatr Crit Care Me

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)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 3, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 6, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 0120-469/2023-2711-6
  • UKC TP 20240274 (Other Grant/Funding Number: University Medical Center Ljubljana)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug 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.

Clinical Trials on Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)

Clinical Trials on Observational study: blood analisys, EEG, MRI

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings