Feasibility study of the use of point-of-care NP measurement
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility study of the use of point-of-care NP measurement in primary care in patients with heart failure
IRAS ID
234119
Contact name
Rafael Perera
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Clinical Trials and Research Governance
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 2 days
Research summary
Heart failure is a condition where the heart does not pump blood around the body as well as it should. Although it is called heart “failure”, the heart is still working, but it might need extra help to make sure it works as well as it can. When someone has been diagnosed with heart failure, they are regularly monitored by their health care team.
A blood test for natriuretic peptide (NP) is sometimes used to help diagnose heart failure, and there is some research that shows that monitoring NP may also be useful for monitoring patients with heart failure.
It is possible for a doctor or nurse to measure NP from a blood sample themselves with a special machine (a “point of care” test), instead of sending it to a laboratory. This means that they get the result quickly, which would be important if they want to use it to make a decision about whether to change someone’s treatment, or to send them to hospital.
We want to see if it’s practical for a GP or nurse to use this quick blood test to monitor patients with heart failure during their normal care. The study will involve around 30 patients, and we will ask them to make three extra visits to their GP practice over a year to have the quick blood test, along with some laboratory blood tests and a general check of their heart health. We will also see if it is practical for the quick blood test to be used if they come to see someone (a GP or nurse) during that year about their heart failure.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
17/NI/0229
Date of REC Opinion
7 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion