Point of care platelet function testing in vascular disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Point of care platelet function testing in diabetic peripheral vascular disease
IRAS ID
187791
Contact name
Nick Schofield
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free London Research and Development Department
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Platelets are present in blood and important in ensuring that blood clots when required. Platelets are also known to play a key role in the development of diseases of the arteries (blood vessels), leading to a reduction in blood flow in these vessels and resultant lack of blood to the supplied tissue. Diabetes is known to cause the platelet blood cells to become more sticky and likely to clot. Patients with diabetes have a much higher risk of developing arterial blood vessel disease, leading to heart attacks, strokes and gangrene of the legs.
Drugs which block platelets are used to make the blood less sticky and therefore less likely to form unwanted clots in the arterial blood vessels (aspirin and clopidogrel). Such drugs are used in the prevention of stroke, heart attacks and blood clots in the legs. However, it has been shown, that not all patients respond in the same way to these drugs, and in fact may still have sticky platelets despite being on such tablets. There is limited data describing whether the use of anti-platelet tablets (aspirin and clopidogrel) are actually working fully in such patients, as it has been shown in other groups that these drugs do often not work fully to prevent sticky blood.
The hypothesis of this study is that a large number of patients with diabetes and peripheral arterial disease (increased blood clots and narrowing in the blood vessels supplying the legs and feet) may in fact have a suboptimal response from anti-platelet tablets, and therefore still have sticky blood and be at risk of blood clots in the legs and resultant tissue loss and gangrene.
Using a blood test which measures how much these drugs are working to prevent sticky blood, we aim to test such patients to see if the tablets are working.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0028
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion