SPARC TRIAL
What is sparc?
The SPARC trial is trying to find out whether patients who are immediately transferred to a specialty hospital after cardiac arrest recover better than those who are cared for at the nearest capable hospital.
Some hospitals have expert teams and special treatments for cardiac arrest, but getting there requires transporting a critically ill patient sometimes over long distances.
For questions or to learn more about this study, please call us at 412-598-7294 or email us at SPARC@pitt.edu.
FAQs
Who will be included and what will happen?
SPARC will enroll adults who are at least 18 years old and have been resuscitated from an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
People enrolled in SPARC will be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to:
Receive standard care at the hospital where they are first treated, or
Be transferred to a hospital that specializes in post-cardiac arrest care (specialty care).
Why this research?
The SPARC trial is trying to find out whether patients who are immediately transferred to a specialty hospital after cardiac arrest recover better than those who are cared for at the nearest capable hospital. Both treatment options are used currently, and it is not clear if one is better than the other. Both groups in the SPARC trial will receive treatments that are standard within our health system and nationally. The only difference is the hospital where that care will take place. However, randomly assigning one of two standard treatment options make shte SPARC trial research.
What are the risks? Are there any benefits?
There are no additional medical risks from participating in the study. All medical treatment will be standard and decided by the doctors. Risks from participating in this research mainly involve:
Loss of privacy: We take strong precautions to keep your health information confidential.
Emotional discomfort: Some questions about health or the cardiac arrest experience may feel upsetting. You can skip any questions or stop at any time.
For patients who are transferred to another facility, there is the rare risk of a transportation accident (ambulance or helicopter crash).
This study may not help you personally. But what we learn could help improve care for future patients who survive cardiac arrest. Participants will be paid $250 as compensation for completing the study questions we ask 90 days after their cardiac arrest.
How are people enrolled in the study?
People who have been resuscitated from a cardiac arrest and who have been transported to a participating UPMC facility will be enrolled in this trial. Normally, researchers ask a person for their consent before they can be in a study. Because cardiac arrest must be treated right away, there may not be time to get consent. Giving consent for medical research usually means reading information, talking with doctors and nurses, and having time to think about whether to join. A person resuscitated from cardiac arrest is often not able to do these things. Sometimes researchers can talk to the patient’s family to ask for consent. However, the family is often not around or can’t be found before immediate treatment decisions are made. This study could not be done without special permission to include people before getting consent. This permission is called Exception from Informed Consent, or EFIC. Once the enrolled person is better and can consent or their family arrives at the hospital, the researchers will ask for consent to continue with the study.
How do I opt out of the study?
You can opt-out of the study by contacting us using any of the methods below and letting us know that you do not want to participate. Please make sure to give us your name and contact information so that we can get in touch with you. We can provide you with a hypoallergenic silicone bracelet to wear that indicates that you should not be enrolled into the study. Opting out will not prevent you from getting your normal care.