SINE Study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A study to investigate the effect of thoracocentesis on neural respiratory drive in pleural effusion

• IRAS ID

  206517

• Contact name

  Liju Ahmed

• Sponsor organisation

  Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  The lining of the lung (called the pleura) normally produces a small amount of fluid to lubricate the lungs. Disease of this lining cause a build up of fluid which is known as a pleural effusion. This affects 320 people per 100,000 population per year. It causes breathlessness, impacts quality of life and represents a significant healthcare burden. Some people are very breathless with small amounts of fluid whereas others feel well with very large pleural effusions. Draining a small volume of fluid can cause drastic improvement for some, but not for all. With no method for doctors to reliably predict who will benefit from drainage,some patients may undergo an unecessary and invasive procedure with inherent risks.

  This two year study will investigate the mechanics of breathing in patients with pleural effusion. In particular, it will assess the electrical activity of the breathing system during drainage of an effusion as well as the pressure within the pleura, movement of diaphragm (the main breathing muscle). The findings will establish whether techniques such as pleural pressure measurement, bedside ultrasound and electromyography of the diaphragm (a method to measure electrical activity) can be used to to predict which patients will benefit the most from fluid drainage.

• REC name

  London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  17/LO/0463

• Date of REC Opinion

  28 Apr 2017

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion