Pulse Pressure and Outcomes After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (STEP-PRESS)

May 18, 2026 updated by: Region Skane

STEP-PRESS: Association of Pulse Pressure With Early Mortality and Biomarker Outcomes After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

STEP-PRESS is a predefined exploratory observational substudy nested within the STEPCARE trial. The study will evaluate whether early low pulse-pressure burden after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is associated with early mortality and selected biomarker outcomes. Pulse pressure will be calculated as systolic blood pressure minus diastolic blood pressure using recorded STEPCARE blood-pressure values. The primary exposure is cumulative hours with pulse pressure below 40 mmHg during the first 12 hours after randomization. The primary outcome is all-cause mortality from the 12-hour landmark to day 7.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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.

Detailed Description

STEP-PRESS is a predefined exploratory observational substudy nested within STEPCARE, an international, multicenter, randomized factorial trial of intensive-care strategies after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. STEPCARE is registered as NCT05564754. The STEPCARE biomarker substudy is registered as NCT06471972.

STEP-PRESS will use data collected within the STEPCARE trial and applicable substudy approvals. No additional intervention, patient contact, or deviation from STEPCARE clinical management is planned for STEP-PRESS.

The source population will consist of randomized STEPCARE participants, excluding consent withdrawals. Pulse pressure will be calculated as systolic blood pressure minus diastolic blood pressure using recorded STEPCARE blood-pressure values. The primary exposure is cumulative low pulse-pressure burden, defined as the number of hours during 0 to 12 hours after randomization in which interpolated pulse pressure is below 40 mmHg.

The primary analysis population will be restricted to participants alive 12 hours after randomization, without mechanical circulatory support initiated before or within 24 hours after randomization, and with at least three valid recorded blood-pressure observations during 0 to 12 hours after randomization.

The primary outcome is all-cause mortality from the 12-hour landmark to day 7. Key secondary outcomes include mortality in a 24-hour landmark analysis, neurological biomarker endpoints, 30-day mortality, 6-month survival, and 6-month functional outcome. Six-month poor functional outcome will follow the parent STEPCARE definition of modified Rankin Scale score 4 to 6.

All STEP-PRESS objectives are associational. The substudy is not designed to test whether modifying pulse pressure improves outcomes.

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 (Actual)

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.
3500

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

  • Sweden
      • Malmö, Sweden, 20205
        • Department of Intensive Care, Skåne University Hospital

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Randomized STEPCARE participants with available trial data for STEP-PRESS analyses. The STEP-PRESS source population consists of randomized STEPCARE participants excluding consent withdrawals. The primary analysis population is restricted to participants alive 12 hours after randomization, without mechanical circulatory support initiated before or within 24 hours after randomization, and with sufficient valid blood-pressure observations during 0 to 12 hours after randomization.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Randomized in the STEPCARE trial.
  • Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
  • Stable return of spontaneous circulation, defined in the parent STEPCARE protocol as at least 20 minutes without chest compressions.
  • Unconsciousness after sustained return of spontaneous circulation, defined as not being able to obey verbal commands, or intubated and sedated because of agitation.
  • Eligible for intensive care without restrictions or limitations.
  • Included in STEPCARE within the parent-trial inclusion window.
  • For STEP-PRESS analyses, availability of recorded STEPCARE blood-pressure data sufficient to calculate pulse pressure for the relevant analysis population.
  • For the primary STEP-PRESS analysis population: alive 12 hours after randomization, without mechanical circulatory support initiated before or within 24 hours after randomization, and with at least three valid recorded blood-pressure observations during 0 to 12 hours after randomization.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Withdrawal of consent for use of STEPCARE trial data.
  • Trauma or hemorrhage as the presumed cause of cardiac arrest.
  • Suspected or confirmed intracranial hemorrhage.
  • On extracorporeal membrane oxygenation before STEPCARE randomization.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Previously randomized in the STEPCARE trial.
  • For STEP-PRESS primary and 24-hour landmark analyses: mechanical circulatory support initiated before or within 24 hours after randomization.
  • For endpoint-specific analyses: missing data required to define the relevant exposure, outcome, or biomarker endpoint.

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.
STEPCARE Participants
Randomized STEPCARE participants included in the STEP-PRESS source population, excluding consent withdrawals. STEP-PRESS will evaluate pulse-pressure burden as an observational exposure using recorded STEPCARE blood-pressure values.

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
All-Cause Mortality From 12 Hours to Day 7
Time Frame: From 12 hours after randomization through day 7 after randomization
Death from any cause occurring after the 12-hour landmark and through day 7 after randomization, evaluated in relation to cumulative low pulse-pressure burden below 40 mmHg during 0 to 12 hours after randomization.
From 12 hours after randomization through day 7 after randomization

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
All-Cause Mortality in the 24-Hour Landmark Analysis
Time Frame: From 24 hours after randomization through day 7 after randomization
Death from any cause occurring after the 24-hour landmark and through day 7 after randomization, evaluated in relation to cumulative low pulse-pressure burden below 40 mmHg during 0 to 24 hours after randomization.
From 24 hours after randomization through day 7 after randomization
Neurofilament Light Level at 12 Hours
Time Frame: 12 hours after randomization
Neurofilament light concentration at 12 hours after randomization, analyzed among participants in the STEPCARE biomarker substudy with available biomarker data.
12 hours after randomization
Neuron-Specific Enolase Level at 48 Hours
Time Frame: 48 hours after randomization
Neuron-specific enolase concentration at 48 hours after randomization, analyzed using available STEPCARE measurements.
48 hours after randomization
30-Day All-Cause Mortality
Time Frame: 30 days after randomization
Death from any cause within 30 days after randomization.
30 days after randomization
6-Month Survival
Time Frame: 6 months after randomization
Survival status at 6 months after randomization.
6 months after randomization
Poor Functional Outcome at 6 Months
Time Frame: 6 months after randomization
Poor functional outcome at 6 months after randomization, defined according to the parent STEPCARE definition as modified Rankin Scale score 4 to 6.
6 months after randomization

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.
Region Skane

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.

Helpful Links

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.
August 17, 2023

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.
May 19, 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.
October 1, 2028

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).
May 8, 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.
May 8, 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.
May 14, 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.
May 22, 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.
May 18, 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.
May 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.
  • STEP-PRESS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

STEP-PRESS will use deidentified or pseudonymized data from the parent STEPCARE trial according to STEPCARE governance procedures. Individual participant data sharing is determined by the STEPCARE sponsor and trial governance, not by the STEP-PRESS substudy investigators alone. Therefore, the IPD sharing plan for this substudy is currently undecided.

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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