HEXIVAS CKD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Proof of concept study of the effect of hand exercise and ischaemic preconditioning on vascular function in CKD patients
IRAS ID
246287
Contact name
Sivaramakrishnan Ramanarayanan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East and North Hertfordshire NHS trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Hemodialysis is a procedure where a dialysis machine and a special filter called an artificial kidney, or a dialyzer, are used to clean your blood. To get your blood into the dialyzer, the doctor needs to make an access, or entrance, into your blood vessels. This is done with minor surgery, usually to your arm to create an arteriovenous fistula (AVF). However, a high proportion of AVF fails to develop after creation. It has been shown that integrity of inner layer of blood vessel called endothelium endothelium is crucial to improve AVF maturation. However, intervention studies to improve endothelial function are scarce. We will conduct a proof of principle study to see the effects of two simple and safe interventions applied sequentially namely - hand exercises and ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) on function of endothelial lining and diameter of blood vessels in the same arm. The ischaemic pre-conditioning intervention involves about 4 cycles of blood pressure cuff inflation and deflation applied to the arm. Isometric hand exercises involve programmed sets of hand exercises using a soft ball that can be done at home.
Twenty patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) with level of kidney function that is less than 30 ml/min of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) will be selected for the study. The data obtained from this proof of principle study will inform us the additive effect of these two interventions on endothelial function and structural changes in vessels. If a good measurable effect is obtained, a larger intervention study will be planned.REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0237
Date of REC Opinion
20 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion