Metabolic and cellular function in critically ill patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An observational study of skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in critically ill patients
IRAS ID
246104
Contact name
Daniel S Martin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free R&D
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The aim of this study is to understand more about changes that occur to how mitochondria (the part of our cells that converts oxygen and nutrients into energy) when patients are unwell on an intensive care unit (ICU). We wish to undertake this research as patients on ICUs have a very high chance of dying, and many other lines of research have failed to improve this. We believe that if the mitochondria of unwell patients behave differently to health individuals this may provide a target for drugs in the future. We therefore hope to identify specific biological processes within the mitochondria that determine whether or not patients survive their illness.
We shall recruit severely unwell patients admitted to our ICU at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Once enrolled into the study we intend to take a small sample of muscle from their leg along with some a blood sample (approximately 4 teaspoons). We shall also enrol a group of control patients undergoing elective surgery at the Royal Free Hospital and take similar samples from them. Clinical information will be collected from both groups, and the ICU population will be followed up to track their survival for a maximum of 90 days.
The muscle and blood samples will be used to look at the patient's mitochondrial function. Part of the samples will also be used to assess factors that may affect this (such as oxidative stress and inflammation). We shall compare results from the samples to clinical information collected at the bedside to seek relationships between them. The ICU patients will then be compared to the control (elective surgery) patients.
Patients enrolled into the study will not have their treatment altered as a result of the research, we shall simply be collecting samples and information only.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1799
Date of REC Opinion
28 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion