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Not yet recruitingNCT07594509Updated May 18, 2026

Perioperative Vericiguat in Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery

An interventional study of Vericiguat and Standard of Care Group in Cardio Vascular Disease and Cardiopulmonary Bypass, sponsored by Nanjing Medical University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-18.

Sponsored by Nanjing Medical University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
600
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of perioperative vericiguat in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Patients at high risk of heart failure or with confirmed cardiac dysfunction will be randomly assigned to receive either vericiguat plus standard of care or standard of care alone. The primary objective is to determine whether perioperative administration of vericiguat can reduce (I) the Incidence of Early Postoperative Hemodynamic Deterioration or Clinically Significant Myocardial Injury; (II) Incidence of Major Sterile Inflammation-Related Organ Injuries (MSIRI), and the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) within 12 months after surgery.

Read the detailed description

Perioperative pathophysiological changes in cardiovascular surgery, such as stress response, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and endothelial dysfunction, often lead to an increased risk of postoperative complications, especially postoperative heart failure and ventricular remodeling. This study hypothesizes that vericiguat, a novel oral soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, can improve endothelial function and reduce postoperative cardiovascular complications by repairing the impaired NO-sGC-cGMP signaling pathway. This is a multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial. A total of 600 eligible patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio. The experimental group will receive oral vericiguat (starting at 2.5 mg once daily 3 days before surgery, and up-titrated to a target dose of 10 mg once daily postoperatively) in addition to standard perioperative care for 6 months. The control group will receive standard perioperative care alone.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cardio Vascular Disease
  • Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Keywords

  • cardiovascular
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Nanjing Medical University is the lead sponsor of 171 studies on the registry; 52 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged 18 to 80 years, any sex;
  • Scheduled to undergo cardiovascular surgery at the study centers, including coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), heart valve replacement/repair, and great vessel surgery;
  • Preoperative evaluation indicates a high risk of heart failure or confirmed cardiac dysfunction;
  • Systolic blood pressure (SBP) >= 100 mmHg;
  • Expected to complete the 6-month postoperative follow-up;
  • Signed written by the patient or their authorized representative.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current use of other sGC stimulators or phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors (e.g., sildenafil, tadalafil);
  • Severe hypotension (symptomatic hypotension or resting SBP \< 90 mmHg);
  • Severe hepatic or renal dysfunction (Hepatic: class C, or /AST > 3 times the ; Renal: \< 15 mL/min/1.73m\^2, or requiring chronic dialysis);
  • Malignant tumors, severe hematological diseases, or severe malnutrition (albumin \< 25 g/L);
  • Known allergy to vericiguat or placebo components;
  • Pregnant or lactating women, or those planning to become pregnant during the study period;
  • Currently participating in other interventional clinical trials;
  • Moderate to severe cognitive impairment without a fixed guardian, unable to cooperate with treatment and follow-up;
  • Confirmed severe infection, sepsis, or septic shock preoperatively.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Child-Pugh class

A score of how well the liver works in people with liver disease such as cirrhosis: class A is mild, B moderate and C severe.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
600 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Vericiguat Group

    Drug: Vericiguat Patients will receive oral vericiguat in addition to standardized perioperative care. Vericiguat will be initiated 3 days before surgery at a dose of 2.5 mg once daily. Postoperatively, upon resumption of enteral nutrition, vericiguat will be continued and gradually up-titrated every 2 weeks based on blood pressure tolerability to 5 mg, and then to a target dose of 10 mg once daily, taken with food, for a total duration of 1 months.

    Drug: Vericiguat

  • Active comparator
    Standard of Care Group

    Standard of Care Group Patients will receive standardized perioperative cardiovascular surgery care alone, without vericiguat or placebo. Standard care includes preoperative preparation, postoperative monitoring, anti-infection, antiplatelet/anticoagulation, diuretics, beta-blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, and other symptomatic treatments for heart failure according to current guidelines.

    Drug: Standard of Care Group

Interventions

  • Patients will receive oral vericiguat in addition to standardized perioperative care. Vericiguat will be initiated 3 days before surgery at a dose of 2.5 mg once daily. Postoperatively, upon resumption of enteral nutrition, vericiguat will be continued and gradually up-titrated every 2 weeks based on blood pressure tolerability to 5 mg, and then to a target dose of 10 mg once daily, taken with food, for a total duration of 1 months.

  • DrugStandard of Care Group

    Patients will receive standardized perioperative cardiovascular surgery care alone, without vericiguat or placebo. Standard care includes preoperative preparation, postoperative monitoring, anti-infection, antiplatelet/anticoagulation, diuretics, beta-blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, and other symptomatic treatments for heart failure according to current guidelines.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of Early Postoperative Hemodynamic Deterioration or Clinically Significant Myocardial Injury

    A composite endpoint defined as the occurrence of any of the following within 7 days after surgery: 1. Severe Hemodynamic Deterioration (Low Cardiac Output Syndrome, LCOS): Defined by the need for new mechanical circulatory support (e.g., IABP, ECMO) postoperatively, OR a Vasoactive-Inotropic Score (VIS) $\\ge$ 15 sustained for at least 12 consecutive hours. 2. Clinically Significant Perioperative Myocardial Infarction/Injury: Based on the Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (Type 5) or ARC-2 criteria, defined as severe elevation of cardiac biomarkers (e.g., cTn \> 10x 99th percentile URL) accompanied by new ischemic ECG changes or new regional wall motion abnormalities on echocardiography. 3. Cardiovascular Death within 7 days.

    Time frame: Up to 7 days postoperatively (or until ICU discharge, whichever comes first).

  2. Incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE)

    MACE is defined as a composite endpoint including: cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, severe arrhythmia, and readmission due to worsening heart failure.

    Time frame: Up to 6 months postoperatively

  3. Incidence of Major Sterile Inflammation-Related Organ Injuries (MSIRI)

    A composite clinical endpoint defined as the occurrence of any of the following severe sterile inflammatory complications within 7 days after surgery, in the absence of proven bacterial infection (defined as negative blood/sputum cultures AND Procalcitonin \[PCT\] \< 0.5$ ng/mL):

    Time frame: Up to 7 days postoperatively.

  4. Maximum Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score

    The SOFA score evaluates 6 organ systems (respiratory, coagulation, liver, cardiovascular, central nervous system, and renal), with each system scored from 0 (normal) to 4 (highest degree of dysfunction). The total score ranges from 0 to 24, where higher scores indicate more severe multi-organ dysfunction. The maximum total SOFA score recorded during the first 7 postoperative days will be compared between groups.

    Time frame: Up to 7 days postoperatively.

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 18, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07594509
Collaborators
Beijing Anzhen Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Changzhou First People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, West China Hospital, Shanghai East Hospital, China
Responsible party
Hong Liu (Investigator of Department of Cardiac Surgery, Nanjing Medical University) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 18, 2026
Start date
May 31, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
May 18, 2026

Study contacts

Hong Liu
Contact
DR.HONGLIU@FOXMAIL.COM
18801281613
Zhi Li, MD
Contact
zhili_cths@163.com
02568303101
Si-chong Qian, MD
principal investigator · Beijing Anzhen Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Studies of the drug tested here: Vericiguat

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