Predicting postoperative morbidity using perioperative immune sampling

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The use of immune and inflamatory biomarkers in the perioperative period to predict late postoperative morbidity

• IRAS ID

  155001

• Contact name

  Michael O'Dwyer

• Contact email

  michael.odwyer@bartshealth.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Queen Mary University of London / Barts Health NHS Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 11 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  One of the commonest and most serious complications observed following major surgery is the development of infections. Our previous research indicates that these complications occur in nearly 40% of patients undergoing major gut surgery and tend to occur about a week following the surgery. Our early results indicate that specific blood tests that measure immune function may be able to predict which patients will go on to develop infectious complications. Interestingly, the blood tests taken on the day following surgery may predict these infectious complications up to a week in advance of the patients becoming ill. The project described here will validate these initial results in a larger group of patients and also extend these predictive tests to include all major surgery and not just surgery involving the gut. The tests carried out will also further our understanding of why these patients may be susceptible to complications and therefore may open avenues of new treatments in the future.
  Furthermore, those patients developing complications are known to not regain their baseline level of function for some time. These patients may have a reduced level of tolerance for excercise, get short of breath on exertion or tire very easily. A final sample taken at 6-12 months following hospital discharge will further explore whether immune abnormalities persist at this time and may be partly responsible for this ongoing decline in function.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/EM/1223

• Date of REC Opinion

  10 Nov 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion