Coronary artery flow characteristics and thrombosis risk
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pilot study to evaluate the relationship between coronary artery wall shear stress and peripheral biomarkers of thrombosis and fibrinolysis
IRAS ID
315395
Contact name
Diana Gorog
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Patients with severe narrowings in their heart arteries are at increased risk of heart attack and death. Severe narrowing of the heart arteries can cause activation of blood cells (platelets) as they pass through the narrowed segments of the vessel and increase the stickiness of these cells, increasing the chance that cells will clump together to form a clot and block the vessel, resulting in a heart attack.
Narrowings in the heart arteries can be assessed using non-invasive methods such as CT coronary angiography (CTCA), which involves x-rays and is costly, or invasive methods such as invasive coronary angiography, which also utilizes X-rays, and carries a 1 in 1000 (0.1%) procedure-related risk of complications such as heart attack, stroke or death.
This study aims to establish whether, by performing a blood test which assesses the stickiness of blood, we can infer the degree of narrowing in the heart arteries. That would mean that a simple blood test (without risks) can inform us about how severe the narrowing in the arteries might be.
This study builds on very early results that indicate a possible relationship between between the degree of narrowing in the heart arteries and the degree of stickiness of the blood.
REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0402
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion