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NCT02361944: ROCS

Risk of Oxygen During Cardiac Surgery Trial

Completed Phase 2, PHASE3 Results posted Last updated 1 February 2024
What this trial tests

Phase 2, PHASE3 trial testing Oxygen - normoxia in Cardiac Surgery in 213 participants. Completed in 8 January 2021.

Timeline
5 April 2016
Primary endpoint
8 October 2020
8 January 2021

Quick facts

Lead sponsorVanderbilt University
PhasePhase 2, PHASE3
StatusCompleted
Study typeINTERVENTIONAL
Allocationrandomized
Designparallel
Maskingdouble
Primary purposeprevention
Enrollment213
Start date5 April 2016
Primary completion8 October 2020
Estimated completion8 January 2021
Sites1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

Conditions studied

Sponsor

Vanderbilt University

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Cardiac Surgery. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.

Intraoperative Systemic Oxidative Damage Primary · separation from cardiopulmonary bypass or completion of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (approximately 3-5 hours into surgery and intervention)

quantified by measuring F2-isoprostanes isofurans following separation from cardiopulmonary bypass or completion of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia6954 – 89
Hyperoxia8362 – 108
Acute Kidney Injury Primary · baseline to postoperative day 2

quantified by change in serum creatinine concentration

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia-0.01-0.16 – 0.19
Hyperoxia0.01-0.12 – 0.19
Vascular Reactivity / Endothelial Function (as Measured by Flow Mediated Dilation) Secondary · ICU admission (immediately after arrival in ICU from operating room)

brachial artery flow mediated dilation assessed when patient arrives in ICU after surgery. brachial artery flow mediated dilation is represented as the percent change in brachial artery diameter following 5 minutes of artery occlusion. The entire assessment takes place at ICU admission.

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia4.501.22 – 8.12
Hyperoxia4.711.80 – 9.68
Mitochondrial Function Secondary · up to 2 days following surgery

mitochondrial function in atrial myocardium estimated by quantifying adenylate kinase at the end of surgery and oxygen intervention

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia18841745 – 2236
Hyperoxia19361591 – 2078
Number of People With Arrhythmia Secondary · from surgery to hospital discharge, average of 6 days following surgery

defined as any atrial fibrillation following surgery until hospital discharge assessed using continuous telemetry, rhythm strips, and electrocardiograms

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia37
Hyperoxia46
Myocardial Injury or Infarction Secondary · morning of postoperative day 1

plasma concentration of creatine kinase, myocardial band

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia27.211.5 – 58.3
Hyperoxia24.513.4 – 40.8
Number of People With Stroke Secondary · from surgery to hospital discharge, average of 6 days following surgery

Defined as new deficit on neurologic exam and confirmed with radiologic evidence occurring at any point prior to hospital discharge

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia1
Hyperoxia2
Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Secondary · up to 18 months following surgery

Median change scores at the Short Blessed Scale (SBT) administered one-year following surgery. The SBT is a validated rating scale, administered by the clinician, measuring the cognitive performance. Sum Total (range 0-28) with 0 indicating no cognitive impairment and 28 indicating severe cognitive impairment.

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia30 – 6
Hyperoxia20 – 4
Respiratory Failure Secondary · from surgery to hospital discharge, average of 6 days following surgery

reintubation

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia5
Hyperoxia1
Chronic Kidney Disease Secondary · 12 months following surgery

eGFR one year following surgery

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia63.050.8 – 84.8
Hyperoxia60.444.3 – 84.4
Inflammation Secondary · up to 2 days following surgery

Estimated by quantifying plasma concentration of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia31.0825.23 – 40.08
Hyperoxia36.6227.54 – 44.93
Hemolysis Secondary · separation from cardiopulmonary bypass or completion of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (approximately 3-5 hours into surgery and intervention)

plasma free hemoglobin

GroupValue95% CI
Normoxia388,03092,628 – 820,820
Hyperoxia433,27474,034 – 982,853

Adverse events — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Time frame: baseline to one year following surgery. Reporting threshold: 0%. Adverse-event reports describe events observed during the trial — not all are caused by the drug.

Normoxia
Serious: 8/100 (8%)
Deaths: 2/100
Hyperoxia
Serious: 11/100 (11%)
Deaths: 0/100

Serious adverse events (9 terms)

ReactionSystemNormoxiaHyperoxia
Category: Arrythmia, Pacemaker or Cardiac ArrestCardiac disorders
SeizureNervous system disorders
Surgical complications requiring valve replacement revisionSurgical and medical procedures
HypoxiaRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
right ventricular failureCardiac disorders
heparin-induced thrombocytopeniaBlood and lymphatic system disorders
anaphylaxisImmune system disorders
Pleural effusionRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
Severe postoperative hallucinationsPsychiatric disorders
Other adverse events (8 terms — click to expand)

ReactionSystemNormoxiaHyperoxia
AnemiaBlood and lymphatic system disorders
LeukocytosisBlood and lymphatic system disorders
VasoplegiaVascular disorders
HypotensionVascular disorders
FeverImmune system disorders
TachycardiaCardiac disorders
Decreased cardiac outputCardiac disorders
ThrombocytopeniaBlood and lymphatic system disorders

Most-reported serious reactions: Category: Arrythmia, Pacemaker or Cardiac Arrest, Seizure, Surgical complications requiring valve replacement revision, Hypoxia, right ventricular failure, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, anaphylaxis, Pleural effusion.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02361944 adverse events section.

Sponsor's own description

The investigators will recruit and randomize 200 elective cardiac surgery patients to receive physiologic oxygenation (normoxia) or hyper-oxygenation (hyperoxia) during surgery to test the hypothesis that intraoperative physiologic oxygenation decreases the generation of reactive oxygen species, oxidative damage, and postoperative organ injury compared to hyper-oxygenation.

Publications & conference data

4 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

  1. Interplay of hypoxia-inducible factors and oxygen therapy in cardiovascular medicine.
    Liang Y, Ruan W, Jiang Y, Smalling R, et al · · 2023 · cited 38× · PMID 37308571 · DOI 10.1038/s41569-023-00886-y
  2. The Risk of Oxygen during Cardiac Surgery (ROCS) trial: study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.
    Lopez MG, Pretorius M, Shotwell MS, Deegan R, et al · · 2017 · cited 19× · PMID 28651648 · DOI 10.1186/s13063-017-2021-5
  3. Intraoperative Oxygen Treatment, Oxidative Stress, and Organ Injury Following Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
    Lopez MG, Shotwell MS, Hennessy C, Pretorius M, et al · · 2024 · cited 14× · PMID 39110454 · DOI 10.1001/jamasurg.2024.2906
  4. Effects of Oxygen on Perioperative Vascular Function: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
    Lopez MG, Pandey AK, Hennessy C, Hughes CG, et al · · 2025 · cited 1× · PMID 40673571 · DOI 10.1161/jaha.125.041778

Verify or expand the search:

Other recruiting trials for Cardiac Surgery

Currently open trials in the same condition.

Other Vanderbilt University trials

Trials by the same sponsor.

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Primary sources · FDA · ClinicalTrials.gov · EMA · SEC EDGAR · ChEMBL · Wikidata · full sourcing