EMG in COPD - factor analysis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of factors affecting respiratory muscle EMG measurements during hospital admission with acute exacerbation of COPD
IRAS ID
178765
Contact name
Nicholas Hart
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
When patients with COPD develop an acute worsening of their condition (called an acute exacerbation of COPD), the activity of the breathing muscles increases. We are able to measure the electrical activity of the breathing muscles of the chest, simply by applying electrodes (similar to those used to record heart traces, or ECG) to the chest wall which can assess neural respiratory drive (NRD). NRD has been demonstrated to be a predictor of readmission in patients admitted to hospital with COPD. We think that measuring the electrical activity of the breathing muscles of the chest might tell us whether patients are improving or not with treatment in hospital.
We have therefore developed a new system using equipment that is smaller and easier to use on general medical wards which has been previously validated. With this we have developed a computer programme that automatically analyses the electrical signals from the breathing muscles to give a rapid measurement of NRD. We have ensured that measurements taken using the new system are comparable to those taken from the older system.
The new automated software allows for longer periods of observation, mostly unsupervised, and as a result, the NRD measurements may be affected by sources of variability. The influence of clinical and physiological factors, as they occur during routine clinical management, such as administration of bronchodilator medication, time of day of readings or proximity to chest physiotherapy, are not yet understood. This trial is designed to gather data to better understand these relationships with NRD and how the recordings obtained from the device can help us to better understand how to use the information
REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1234
Date of REC Opinion
3 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion