Clinical Trials

The Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinical Trials performed at USC are extremely important to the care of all patients, now and in the future. With the help of participants, we are able to find ways to improve health, answer scientific questions, and find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat heart diseases.

Below is a list of our current studies. If you are interested in participating, please contact us at (323) 442-5849 to see if you qualify. For more information, contact:

Candace Bart, RN (323) 442-5898
Becky Lopez, RN (323) 442-6226

Adult Cardiac Surgery Studies

1. Exercise Hemodynamics in Patients Undergoing Aortic Valve Replacement Using the Hancock II Bioprosthesis.The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether or not the Hancock II aortic valve will affect the patients ability to exercise and carry out daily activities after heart surgery. More information...
   
   
2. A Phase 2, Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Human Recombinant Soluble Complement Receptor Type I (TP 10) in Adult Women Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery. During a heart bypass procedure, a substance called “complement” is released by the body. This substance causes inflammation, which can lead to side effects such as chest pain, heart attacks, and/or heart failure. More information...
   
   
3. A Multi-center, Randomized, Double-blind, Parallel-group, Placebo-controlled Study of 2 mg/kg Bolus Plus 24-hour 0.05 mg/kg/hr Infusion of Pexelizumab in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with Cardiopulmonary Bypass (PRIMO-CABG II). During a heart bypass procedure, a substance called complement, which is a substance normally produced by the body in response to tissue injury, is released. This substance causes inflammation, which can lead to side effects such as chest pain, heart attacks, and/or heart failure. More information...

Robotic Surgery Studies

1. Robotic Surgery: Myocardial Revascularization Using the da Vinci Surgical System. Intuitive Surgical da Vinci Surgical System is sponsoring a study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of their robotic system for use in performing totally endoscopic, left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending (LAD) myocardial revascularization. More information...

Heart Failure Studies

1. Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) Trial. STICH is a clinical trial which will help doctors determine which treatments will help patients with 1) heart failure and 2) coronary artery disease live longer. More information...
   
   
2. Clinical Investigation of the DeBakey VAD with Comparison to a Performance Goal to Establish Safety and Effectiveness of the Device as a Left Ventricular Support in Patients Awaiting Cardiac Transplantation. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness and safety of the DeBakey VAD in providing circulatory support as a bridge to cardiac transplantation for UNOS 1A patients who are at risk of imminent death from non-reversible left ventricular failure. More information...