RAPTOR - f

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  RAPID driven Treatment of Pleural Infection (feasibility study)RAPTOR - f

• IRAS ID

  336017

• Contact name

  Najib Rahman

• Contact email

  Najib.rahman@ndm.ox.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Univeristy of Oxford

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 8 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  
  Pleural infection is a common and serious complication of infection in the lung which results in a collection of fluid between the chest wall and the lung. In the United Kingdom (UK), more than 15000 patients are affected yearly. The disease is fatal in 1 in 5 people, and patients stay in hospital for an average of 14 days for treatment. Costing the NHS around £4000 daily per patient.

  Standard treatment includes admission to hospital for antibiotics and drainage of the fluid through a tube inserted between the ribs (chest drain). When this fails, surgery is sometimes required. Alternatively, medications can be given through the chest drain, which clears out the infected material (called Intrapleural Enzyme Therapy or IET). This treatment has been shown to reduce hospital stay and the need for surgery.

  Being able to predict which patients are most vulnerable from pleural infection at the start of treatment would be very valuable to identify the sickest patients and offer the best treatment as early as possible. Our group has developed a simple score (called RAPID), which uses information routinely collected in clinical care. The score is reliable in identifying those at the highest risk of death and worse outcomes, but we don’t know whether this score could direct the treatment for patients with pleural infection. To prove this, we need to conduct a large study but before doing this, it is essential that we know such a study would be possible and that changing treatment according to RAPID score is acceptable to patients and doctors.

  We aim to conduct a study where 30 patients are randomised from 4 centres in the UK (assigned by computer) to standard care or RAPID score driven treatment over 22 months. We planned to assess whether patients find this acceptable, and this is deliverable within the NHS.

• REC name

  Wales REC 7

• REC reference

  25/WA/0161

• Date of REC Opinion

  13 Jun 2025

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion