HaemoAKI V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Utilising point-of-care technology for the identification of haemolysis-induced Acute Kidney Injury following open surgery on the descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aorta.
IRAS ID
313578
Contact name
Mark Field
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The aorta is the main blood vessel that supplies blood from the heart to the body. When the aorta becomes diseased (for example, with an aneurysm) sections of it can be replaced with surgery. This procedure is life-saving, but is associated with a high level of kidney injury following the operation. There are several causes of kidney injury, one of which is a process called 'haemolysis'. Haemolysis is the rupture of red blood cells, and is the focus of this study. Our aim is to identify if there is a link between haemolysis and kidney injury in a cohort of patients who require surgery on the descending aorta.
Red blood cells can be damaged during operations on the aorta, as high volumes of blood must be processed through medical devices such as the Heart-Lung Machine and the Cell Saver. These devices assist the circulation but can cause some red blood cell damage. When a cell is damaged, the inner contents are released into the bloodstream. Here, some molecules become toxic, and have been linked to kidney injury in other studies. We would like to use a new CE-marked medical device called Hemcheck that will allow us to measure the amount of a toxic molecule (called 'plasma free haemoglobin') within a sample (0.1ml) of blood at the patient bedside.
To do this, we will take blood samples from patients during their hospital stay. We will assess the performance of the new device by comparing them to a laboratory test. We will identify if there is a link between the blood concentration of plasma free haemoglobin and the risk of post-operative kidney injury. We will also assess if there is a relationship between the amount of blood that is processed within medical devices and the blood concentration of plasma free haemoglobin.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0933
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion