Offering flu shots in hospital to people with heart disease
Tests flu shots given in hospital to adults with acute coronary syndrome or heart failure.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Stephan Baldus
- Where
- Cologne and Hamburg, GermanySee the 2 sites
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Intrahospital Influenza Vaccination in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk (VACC-UP)
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 482 people, planned
- Started
- 30 Sept 2026
- Expected to end
- Jun 2029
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Intrahospital seasonal influenza vaccination offer
- Standardized active influenza vaccination counseling
- Standard of care discharge recommendation for ambulatory vaccination
- Record updated
- 13 October 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults in hospital because of acute coronary syndrome or heart failure who have not yet had this season's flu shot.
- Age
- 18 years or older
- Sex
- All sexes can join.
- Disease stage
- In hospital because of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or congestive heart failure (CHF), and meeting the German STIKO criteria for a flu vaccination.
- Earlier treatment
- Must not have had this season's flu vaccination yet.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Already had the flu vaccination this season
- Flu infection confirmed by a lab test during the hospital stay
- A reason why vaccination cannot be given, for example a known allergy
- Unable to give written informed consent
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 7 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Age 18 years or older
- Hospitalized due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or congestive heart failure (CHF) and fulfilling the criteria for influenza vaccination according to the recommendations of the German Standing Vaccination Committee (STIKO)
- Written informed consent
Who cannot take part
- Already received seasonal influenza vaccination in the current season, based on self-reported vaccination status and/or vaccination certificate
- Contraindication for vaccination (e.g., known allergy)
- Laboratory-confirmed active influenza infection during the index hospitalization
- Inability to provide written informed consent
Where in Germany
- Clinic III for Internal Medicine, University Hospital of CologneCologne, GermanyContact: Sebastian Heyne, Dr. med.Taking people
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Centre HamburgHamburg, GermanyContact: Natalie Arnold, Dr. med. (principal investigator)Taking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of offering intrahospital influenza vaccination as an adjunct to active counseling during the index hospitalization to adult patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or congestive heart failure (CHF), compared with active counseling alone, on influenza vaccination rates in patients at high cardiovascular risk.
Read full original descriptionShow less
Patients are randomized 1:1 to either an offer of bedside intrahospital influenza vaccination according to the recommendations of the German Standing Vaccination Committee (STIKO) in addition to standardized active counseling (intervention group), or standardized active counseling plus the standard-of-care recommendation for ambulatory vaccination in the discharge papers (control group). The primary endpoint is the influenza vaccination rate at the end of the index season (March 31).
The 2 groups in the trial
- Intrahospital vaccination offerTreatment being tested
Patients receive standardized active influenza vaccination counseling and are additionally offered bedside intrahospital vaccination against seasonal influenza according to the latest STIKO recommendations at any time prior to discharge during the index hospitalization.
Treatment: Intrahospital seasonal influenza vaccination offer and Standardized active influenza vaccination counseling
- Active counseling alone (standard of care)Existing treatment, for comparison
Patients receive standardized active influenza vaccination counseling and the current standard of care in Germany, i.e., the recommendation to obtain ambulatory influenza vaccination as stated in the discharge papers. No intrahospital influenza vaccination is administered during the index hospitalization.
Treatment: Standardized active influenza vaccination counseling and Standard of care discharge recommendation for ambulatory vaccination
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Intrahospital Vaccination and Active Counseling Versus Active Counseling Alone to Increase Seasonal Influenza immUnization in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk in Germany: The Randomized Controlled VACC-UP Study
- Plain-language title
- Offering flu shots in hospital to people with heart diseaseGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Record updated
- 13 October 2026