Cooper Part of International Study: Clinical Trial Evaluating Low-Dose Nitric Oxide Inhibition in the Treatment of Cardiognic Shock

As one of the most advanced cardiac centers in the Delaware Valley, Cooper University Hospital has recently been selected to participate in a Phase III international, multi-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind study to assess the safety and efficacy of a treatment for cardiogenic shock complicating myocardial infarction, known as the TRIUMPH Study (Tilarginine Acetate Injection in a Randomized International Study in Unstable AMI Patients/ Cardiogenic Shock).

Triumph Study“Preliminary studies have demonstrated that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition improves cardiovascular function and survival in patients with cardiogenic shock whose blood pressure remains low after revascularization. The purpose of this clinical trial is to assess the safety and efficacy of administering a NOS inhibitor,” says Steven Hollenberg, M.D., director of the Coronary Care Unit at Cooper University Hospital, and co-principal investigator on the TRIUMPH Study with Joseph Parrillo, M.D, director of the Cooper Heart Institute.

“The Cooper Heart Institute was one of only three centers on the East Coast that participated in Phase I and II of this trial,” added Dr. Hollenberg. “We believe that NOS inhibition represents an important potential therapeutic option for cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction.”

Inclusion criteria include:

  • Ischemic symptoms for at least 30 minutes: and
  • ECG changes (at least one of the following):
    • Two or more contiguous leads with >2mm ST segment elevation
    • Evolving Q waves
    • Left bundle branch block
    • >2mm ST depression in at least 2 contiguous leads

“Patients must also meet certain shock criteria to qualify for the study,” says Dr. Hollenberg. “However, regardless of the specific parameters, these are usually unstable patients whose hemodynamic needs would probably be better served by access to the advanced interventional therapies available in a tertiary care facility such as Cooper. The Cooper Transfer System (COTS) was designed to transport these patients quickly and efficiently,” he added.

For more information about the trial, please call (856) 342-2648. To transfer a patient, please call toll free: (866) 723- COTS (2687).