Ferric Iron in Heart Failure (FERRIC-HF) III Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effect of Iron (III) Isomaltoside 1000 on Cardiac Energetics in Anaemic and Non-anaemic Patients with Symptomatic Chronic Heart Failure and Iron Deficiency: The Ferric Iron in Heart Failure (FERRIC-HF) III Trial
IRAS ID
219395
Contact name
Darlington O Okonko
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Eudract number
2017-004667-13
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Heart failure occurs when the heart is not able to pump blood around the body effectively, which can often result in tiredness, reduced ability to exercise and symptoms such as shortness of breath.
Many patients who suffer from heart failure also have low iron levels in the blood – a condition called iron deficiency.
Previous research has shown that when iron deficient heart failure patients receive iron supplementation through a drip, their symptoms improve and their ability to exercise increases. However no-one knows how iron supplementation brings about these improvements, yet. We think it might be because iron is crucial for the correct generation of energy in the heart.
To attempt to find out how iron brings about these beneficial effects, we will perform a clinical trial comparing the ability of the heart to produce energy in patients who receive iron supplementation vs. patients who don’t. Patients will have blood tests taken, a test to measure their walking distance, and an MRI scan of the heart to measure energy levels. They will then be given either a drip of iron or a drip of saline water (also called placebo). Neither the doctor/nurse giving the treatment, nor the patient will know what was given. This is done to ensure the comparison between people who do and don’t receive iron is as fair as possible. After the treatment the patient will repeat all the same test to see if there is a difference in the results.
Once the study is over the patients who were not given iron during the study, and who still have a need for it, will be offered iron supplementation. In this way participating in the study will not cause anyone to miss out on treatment that might benefit them.REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0020
Date of REC Opinion
26 Jan 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion