Cirrhotic CardiomyopathyPITCHNCT07658222
Prospective Investigation of Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy in Humans
An observational study of Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy, run by Vanderbilt University Medical Center at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a recognized complication of cirrhosis, but understudied despite recent retrospective data suggesting it may be common, affecting one in three patients with decompensated cirrhosis, and associated with significantly increased risk of death and adverse hepatic and cardiac events. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy
- How many people
- 440 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Jan 2026to 30 Jun 2030
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Study population will be identified through clinic referrals and inpatient evaluations.
Who may be able to join
- Decompensated cirrhosis, defined as cirrhosis with current or prior occurrence of one or more of the following:
- portal hypertension-related bleeding,
- hepatic encephalopathy, and/or
- clinical ascites.
- Model for End Stage Liver Disease version 3.0 (MELD 3.0) ≥ 15 or Child Pugh Class B-C
- Age ≥ 18 years
Show all 9Show fewer
- Longitudinal follow up in either at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) or University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) hepatology clinics
- Willing to adhere to study protocol
- Able to provide written informed consent
Who cannot join
- Current or prior obstructive coronary artery disease, ≥ moderate valvular disease, > mild pericardial effusion, cardiac amyloidosis, congenital heart disease, pacemaker, or implantable cardioverter defibrillator
- End-stage heart, kidney, or lung disease
- Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
- Acute on Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) grade 2-3 (i.e., ≥ 2 extrahepatic organ failures)
- Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (i.e., Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Stage C or D)
- Ongoing alcohol use, by patient reporting or by phosphatidyl ethanol testing
- Pregnancy
- Prior TIPS
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Deepak Gupta, MD contact
United States2 sites, 2 recruiting
- Recruiting
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, 75390
Lisa VanWagner,, MD, 214-648-3111, Lisa.Vanwagner@UTSouthwestern.edu
Lisa Vanwagner, MD
- Recruiting
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee, 37203
Manhal Izzy, MD, manhal.izzy@vumc.org
Manhal Izzy, MD
About this study
Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a recognized complication of cirrhosis, but understudied despite recent retrospective data suggesting it may be common, affecting one in three patients with decompensated cirrhosis, and associated with significantly increased risk of death and adverse hepatic and cardiac events. Moreover, evidence from preclinical models and children suggest elevated bile acids in the blood may contribute to CCM, but data from adults with cirrhosis are scarce. Therefore, this study will be the first contemporary prospective multicenter investigation of CCM in adults with cirrhosis in the United States. The study will characterize risk factors for CCM, determine its impact on clinical outcomes, and investigate the contribution of circulating bile acids to disease development.
Read the detailed description
Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a recognized but understudied and not well understood complication of cirrhosis. CCM is defined as subclinical (i.e., silent) heart dysfunction identified by echocardiography in patients with cirrhosis in the absence of other heart diseases such as significant coronary artery, valvular, or pericardial disease. Initial small studies indicate that CCM is common and it warrants larger prospective study in humans to address unanswered questions highly relevant to clinical care. These include 1) what are the associations between CCM and cirrhosis-related outcomes, adverse cardiac events, and survival 2) what clinical factors increase the risk for CCM, and 3) do bile acids levels, which are produced by the liver, in the blood associate with features of CCM.
- Conditions
- Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy
- Keywords
- Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, Cirrhosis
- Medical subject headings
- Fibrosis
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Decompensated cirrhosis | Patients with cirrhosis and current or prior occurrence of one or more of the following: • portal hypertension-related bleeding (a type of bleeding from the gut in patients with cirrhosis),• hepatic encephalopathy (i.e., alteration in mental status due to cirrhosis), and/or • clinical ascites (i.e., fluid build up in the abdomen). The cohort will then be analyzed based on the presence of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
All-Cause Mortality
Death from any cause occurring during the follow-up period. Mortality status will be ascertained through review of medical records.
Measured: Up to 4 years
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Jun 2026
- Study start20 Jan 2026
- Primary completion30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Cirrhotic CardiomyopathyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Vanderbilt University Medical CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 440 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Manhal Izzy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Investigators
- Manhal Izzy, MD, Principal investigator, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07658222
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 250891
- Other IDs
- R01HL181174
- Acronym
- PITCH
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 15 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 21 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Izzy M, VanWagner LB, Lin G, Altieri M, Findlay JY, Oh JK, Watt KD, Lee SS; Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy Consortium. Redefining Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy for the Modern Era. Hepatology. 2020 Jan;71(1):334-345. doi: 10.1002/hep.30875. Epub 2019 Oct 11.
PubMed 31342529Kajal K, Premkumar M, Izzy M, Kulkarni AV, Duseja AK, Divyaveer S, Loganathan S, Sihag B, Gupta A, Bahl A, Rathi S, Taneja S, De A, Verma N, Sharma N, Kaur H, Zohmangaihi D, Kumar V, Bhujade H, Chaluvashetty SB, Kalra N. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy influences clinical outcomes and enhances performance of conventional risk prediction models in acute-on-chronic liver failure with severe sepsis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2023 Nov;58(9):903-919. doi: 10.1111/apt.17695. Epub 2023 Sep 9.
PubMed 37688403Myers S, Gupta DK, Izzy M. The clinical relevance of the new criteria for cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and future directions. Liver Transpl. 2025 Apr 1;31(4):521-530. doi: 10.1097/LVT.0000000000000458. Epub 2024 Aug 27.
PubMed 39185907
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 21 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Prospective Investigation of Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy in Humans
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07658222
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PITCH / 250891
- Conditions
- Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy
- Keywords
- Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, Cirrhosis
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 440 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Vanderbilt University Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Study start
- 20 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
- First posted
- 18 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a recognized complication of cirrhosis, but understudied despite recent retrospective data suggesting it may be common, affecting one in three patients with decompensated cirrhosis, and associated with significantly increased risk of death and adverse hepatic and cardiac events. Moreover, evidence from preclinical models and children suggest elevated bile acids in the blood may contribute to CCM, but data from adults with cirrhosis are scarce. Therefore, this study will be the first contemporary prospective multicenter investigation of CCM in adults with cirrhosis in the United States. The study will characterize risk factors for CCM, determine its impact on clinical outcomes, and investigate the contribution of circulating bile acids to disease development.
Detailed description
Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a recognized but understudied and not well understood complication of cirrhosis. CCM is defined as subclinical (i.e., silent) heart dysfunction identified by echocardiography in patients with cirrhosis in the absence of other heart diseases such as significant coronary artery, valvular, or pericardial disease. Initial small studies indicate that CCM is common and it warrants larger prospective study in humans to address unanswered questions highly relevant to clinical care. These include 1) what are the associations between CCM and cirrhosis-related outcomes, adverse cardiac events, and survival 2) what clinical factors increase the risk for CCM, and 3) do bile acids levels, which are produced by the liver, in the blood associate with features of CCM.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Decompensated cirrhosis | – | –Patients with cirrhosis and current or prior occurrence of one or more of the following: • portal hypertension-related bleeding (a type of bleeding from the gut in patients with cirrhosis),• hepatic encephalopathy (i.e., alteration in mental status due to cirrhosis), and/or • clinical ascites (i.e., fluid build up in the abdomen). The cohort will then be analyzed based on the presence of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Study population will be identified through clinic referrals and inpatient evaluations.
Key inclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Decompensated cirrhosis, defined as cirrhosis with current or prior occurrence of one or more of the following:
- Model for End Stage Liver Disease version 3.0 (MELD 3.0) ≥ 15 or Child Pugh Class B-C
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Longitudinal follow up in either at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) or University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) hepatology clinics
- Willing to adhere to study protocol
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Current or prior obstructive coronary artery disease, ≥ moderate valvular disease, > mild pericardial effusion, cardiac amyloidosis, congenital heart disease, pacemaker, or implantable cardioverter defibrillator
- End-stage heart, kidney, or lung disease
- Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
- Acute on Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) grade 2-3 (i.e., ≥ 2 extrahepatic organ failures)
- Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (i.e., Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Stage C or D)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
All-Cause Mortality
Time frame: Up to 4 years
Death from any cause occurring during the follow-up period. Mortality status will be ascertained through review of medical records.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 21 Jul 2026.
- Background: PubMed 31342529Izzy M, VanWagner LB, Lin G, Altieri M, Findlay JY, Oh JK, Watt KD, Lee SS; Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy Consortium. Redefining Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy for the Modern Era. Hepatology. 2020 Jan;71(1):334-345. doi: 10.1002/hep.30875. Epub 2019 Oct 11.
- Background: PubMed 37688403Kajal K, Premkumar M, Izzy M, Kulkarni AV, Duseja AK, Divyaveer S, Loganathan S, Sihag B, Gupta A, Bahl A, Rathi S, Taneja S, De A, Verma N, Sharma N, Kaur H, Zohmangaihi D, Kumar V, Bhujade H, Chaluvashetty SB, Kalra N. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy influences clinical outcomes and enhances performance of conventional risk prediction models in acute-on-chronic liver failure with severe sepsis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2023 Nov;58(9):903-919. doi: 10.1111/apt.17695. Epub 2023 Sep 9.
- Background: PubMed 39185907Myers S, Gupta DK, Izzy M. The clinical relevance of the new criteria for cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and future directions. Liver Transpl. 2025 Apr 1;31(4):521-530. doi: 10.1097/LVT.0000000000000458. Epub 2024 Aug 27.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Deepak Gupta, MD contact
Manhal Izzy, MD principal investigator
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy, run by Vanderbilt University Medical Center at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Manhal Izzy, MD (615-875-6540, manhal.izzy@vumc.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
All-Cause Mortality (time frame: Up to 4 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07658222, which also lists 3 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 Jul 2026.