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Bright Light Exposure in Surgical Patients

Bright Light Exposure in Patients Undergoing Non-cardiac Elective Surgery

Who can join

Ages 18 to 90 · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients undergoing primary sternotomy cardiac surgery
* Subjects in the range of 18 - 90 years old .
* Patient need to be in sinus rhythm at the time of surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

* patients \<18 or \>90 years old
* participation in other clinical trials within the previous 30 days
* pregnancy
* neurological conditions that could impair weaning from ventilator support
* significant CNS disorders or comorbid irreversible conditions with a six-month mortality rate more than 50 percent
* prisoners, or subjects with altered capabilities to make decision will be enrolled
* medical history of type 2 diabetes
* patients with atrial fibrillation or use of class III anti-arhythmic drug
* patients with a left ventricle ejection fraction \< 40%
* patient in emergency condition

About the study

1. Elucidate the influence of intense light therapy pretreatment in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. We hypothesize that intense light exposure is associated with the peripheral stabilization of Per2 in human buccal swabs and plasma samples before surgery and with a decrease of Troponin I levels after surgery. In addition, we hypothesize that light therapy leads to Per2 dependent metabolic optimization in the human cardiac tissue. Therefore, a small piece of human heart tissue from the right atrium will be collected during cardiac cannulation, which will be otherwise discarded. 2. Critical illness (being in the intensive care unit) results in circadian malfunction and vessels not working. Vessel function is controlled by the body's circadian clock. Intense light boosts the circadian clock and the vessel function in animal studies. Vessels not working well in critical ill patients results in a myriad of severe diseases (delirium, stroke, heart attack, organ damage etc). Thus we will test if intense light can be used to boost the circadian clock and the associated vessel function in critical ill patients.

What is being tested

• Day Light (device)
• Placebo light (device)
• ICU Intense Light (device)
• ICU Placebo light (device)

Sponsor: University of Colorado, Denver · Participants: 70 · Started: Jul 12, 2019

Contact the study team

• Tobias Eckle, MD, PhD · Phone: 7209495646
• Nick Naughton, BS · Phone: 303-724-0833

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT03822949

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Myocardial Ischemia
• Critical Illness

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 29, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.