Home › Sudden Cardiac Arrest › NCT07002294

The Effect of SPecialty cAre on Recovery From Cardiac Arrest Trial (the SPARC Trial)

Who can join

Ages 18 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
* Resuscitated from cardiac arrest with palpable pulse in the emergency department
* Treated at one of participating hospital emergency departments
* Age ≥18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

* Known prior advanced directives or decision to limit critical care
* Known pre-arrest dependent functional status (e.g., living in a skilled nursing facility, hospice or bedbound)
* Arrest in the emergency department \>4 hours after arrival
* Traumatic etiology of arrest
* Known to have opted-out from the SPARC trial

About the study

This randomized clinical trial will determine if adult participants who are in the emergency department after being resuscitated from a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital benefit from care delivered at specialized centers.

The main question that it will answer is whether transferring participants to a hospital with a specialized cardiac arrest service improves recovery of function after 90 days.

Participants will receive all usual medical care, but some participants will be offered transfer to a regional cardiac arrest center and others will be offered care at the closest appropriate hospital. Investigators will interview participants after 90 days to assess their recovery.

What is being tested

• Transfer to specialty care (other)
• Usual care (other)

Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh · Participants: 1,618 · Started: May 11, 2026

Contact the study team

• Sara DiFiore-Sprouse · Phone: 4128642284

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07002294

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Sudden Cardiac Arrest
• Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.