Comparing two ways to find heart failure in older adults in rural China
Compares blood-test screening with symptom-based screening for heart failure in older rural adults.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Jiangsu Taizhou People's Hospital
- Where
- Nanjing, ChinaSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Screening Elderly Adults in Rural Communities for Heart Failure Using an NT-proBNP-Guided Strategy in China (SEARCH-HF)
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 2,532 people, planned
- Started
- 1 Oct 2026
- Expected to end
- 30 Jun 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Symptom-based heart failure screening
- NT-proBNP-guided heart failure screening
- Record updated
- 21 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 older adults living in a rural town in Nanjing, China, who are in routine health care for older adults. It compares two ways of screening for heart failure.
- Age
- 65 years or older
- Sex
- Men and women
Main reasons for not taking part
- Expected to live less than 3 months
- Schizophrenia, severe dementia, or another mental or thinking disorder that prevents taking part in the study tests
Where in China
- Hushu Community Health Service CenterNanjing, ChinaContact: Li Wang, BMedTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Heart failure (HF) is common among older adults and is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare burden. Early stages of HF may be asymptomatic or present with nonspecific symptoms, making early detection challenging when screening relies primarily on clinical symptoms. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a biomarker that may help identify individuals with previously unrecognized cardiac dysfunction or HF.
Read full original descriptionShow less
This study is a prospective, stratified, cluster-randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate an NT-proBNP-driven screening strategy for HF among adults aged 65 years or older in primary care settings. Participating clusters will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either an NT-proBNP-guided HF screening strategy or symptom-based HF screening strategy.
In the NT-proBNP-guided HF screening group, NT-proBNP will be measured in participants, and those with elevated NT-proBNP levels will be referred for further evaluation, including assessment of HF symptoms, echocardiography, to assess HF. In the symptom-based HF screening group, participants with typical symptoms suggestive of HF will be recommended for further evaluation with NT-proBNP testing and echocardiography for HF.
The primary objective is to determine whether an NT-proBNP-guided screening strategy improves the detection rate of newly HF compared with conventional symptom-based HF screening. The study will also compare the HF positive rate and health economic outcomes between the two strategies, as well as adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy among patients with HF.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Symptom-based heart failure screeningExisting treatment, for comparison
Participants with typical symptoms of heart failure, including dyspnea, chest tightness, fatigue, or lower-extremity edema, will be recommended for NT-proBNP and echocardiography to further evaluate heart failure.
- NT-proBNP-guided heart failure screeningTreatment being tested
Participants with an NT-proBNP level of 125 pg/mL or higher will be recommended to undergo further heart failure symptoms and echocardiographic evaluation for heart failure.
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
- Screening Elderly Adults in Rural Communities for Heart Failure Using an NT-proBNP-Guided Strategy in China (SEARCH-HF)
- Plain-language title
- Comparing two ways to find heart failure in older adults in rural ChinaGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 13 November 2026.
- Record updated
- 21 October 2026