DOBERMANN Trials Test Early Interventions to Prevent Cardiogenic Shock in High-Risk AMI Patients
Key Insights
The DOBERMANN-T and DOBERMANN-D trials evaluated tocilizumab and dobutamine as early interventions in 100 acute myocardial infarction patients at risk for cardiogenic shock, with both treatments missing their primary endpoints of reducing NT-proBNP (search) levels.
Tocilizumab showed a nonsignificant 18% reduction in NT-proBNP (search) and achieved 78% suppression of systemic inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein, suggesting potential cardioprotective effects.
Dobutamine infusion demonstrated persistent systolic blood pressure reduction through 48 hours, indicating sustained left ventricular afterload reduction, though without significant NT-proBNP (search) improvement.
Two novel trials investigating early interventions to prevent cardiogenic shock in high-risk acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients have shown promising signals despite missing their primary endpoints. The DOBERMANN-T and DOBERMANN-D studies, presented at CRT 2026 and published in JACC, explored whether tocilizumab or dobutamine could reduce biomarkers of hemodynamic instability in the critical window after PCI but before cardiogenic shock develops.
The single-center, double-blinded, 2x2 factorial DOBERMANN trial randomized 100 AMI patients at increased risk for cardiogenic shock. Patients had a median age of 68 years, with about 25% women, and 73% presented with anterior STEMI. All participants had ORBI risk scores ≥10, indicating intermediate-to-high risk of in-hospital cardiogenic shock.
Tocilizumab Shows Anti-Inflammatory Promise
In DOBERMANN-T, 49 patients received either a single 280 mg intravenous dose of tocilizumab over one hour or placebo. The primary endpoint of peak NT-proBNP (search) up to 48 hours showed a nonsignificant 18% reduction in the tocilizumab group (geometric mean ratio 0.82; p=0.18).
However, tocilizumab demonstrated significant early effects, with NT-proBNP (search) levels 22% lower at 12 hours compared to placebo (ratio 0.78; p=0.04). This relative difference persisted at 24 to 48 hours but did not reach statistical significance. Most notably, systemic inflammation was dramatically suppressed, with peak C-reactive protein 78% lower in the tocilizumab group at all time points (p<0.001).
"The reason for also looking into those secondary endpoints was in fact to try and see where is the signal," said lead investigator Joakim Bo Kunkel, MD, from Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet. "Is it in the vasculature? Is it around the infarct itself? If you look at mechanistic studies, you find [interleukin-6] on a local as well as a systemic level."
Left ventricular infarct size and troponin T levels remained similar between groups, suggesting the anti-inflammatory effects may not translate to immediate myocardial protection.
Dobutamine Provides Sustained Hemodynamic Effects
The DOBERMANN-D trial allocated 51 patients to receive either 24-hour low-dose dobutamine infusion (5 μg/kg/min) or placebo. Peak NT-proBNP (search) plasma concentration up to 48 hours was similar between groups (mean 3,618 ng/L vs. 3,709 ng/L; ratio 0.98; p=0.9), corresponding to a nonsignificant 2% reduction with dobutamine.
Despite missing the primary endpoint, dobutamine produced sustained hemodynamic changes. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the dobutamine group at 15, 36, and 48 hours, suggesting persistent left ventricular afterload reduction. Heart rate was higher during the first 24 hours but normalized thereafter.
"The dobutamine-infused patients did have lower systolic blood pressure by hour 15 that persisted to 48 hours, which the investigators say suggests persistent LV afterload reduction," noted Sarah Louise Duus Holle, MD, who led the DOBERMANN-D trial.
Safety Profile Supports Further Investigation
Both interventions demonstrated excellent safety profiles. In DOBERMANN-D, composite safety endpoints showed no differences between dobutamine and placebo groups during index admission (12% vs 11%; p=1.0) or at 3-month follow-up (16% vs 13%; p=0.8). No differences were observed in tachyarrhythmia requiring intervention or mortality rates.
Similarly, DOBERMANN-T showed no between-group differences in composite safety endpoints including death, infection requiring intravenous antibiotics, drug-induced neutropenia, liver injury, gastrointestinal perforation, or acute kidney injury requiring dialysis.
Clinical Implications and Future Directions
The trials highlight the challenge of identifying optimal biomarkers for cardiogenic shock prevention. In an accompanying editorial, experts suggested that NT-proBNP (search), while reflecting myocardial wall stress and neurohormonal activation, may not be a validated surrogate for cardiogenic shock prevention.
"Hemodynamic indices such as cardiac power output more directly reflect shock physiology. Biomarkers with more rapid pharmacokinetic profiles may better capture early therapeutic effects," the editorialists wrote. "A multidimensional, trajectory-based endpoint integrating hemodynamics, biomarkers, and clinical deterioration may ultimately prove more informative than reliance on any single biomarker alone."
George Dangas, MD, PhD, from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted the narrow therapeutic window presents unique challenges. "It's a fast window, so you need something that's going to fluctuate measurably within that short-term window," he said.
The investigators acknowledged sample size limitations but emphasized the importance of continuing research in this high-mortality population. Co-investigator Helle Søholm, MD, PhD, noted the difficulty of conducting randomized trials in acute cardiac patients, stating, "But it's really important to get us further on with these patients that have a high mortality rate."
Future studies may benefit from earlier intervention timing, potentially before or during PCI, and targeting higher-risk populations. The investigators have built a biobank that will enable deeper analysis of the mechanistic signals observed in these trials.