TASKMASTER: Targeting the Skeletal Muscle pump V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Targeting the Skeletal Muscle pump to Aid Standing in Elders with postural hypotension (TASKMASTER)
IRAS ID
241935
Contact name
James Frith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 29 days
Research summary
When we stand up gravity pulls blood into our legs, lowering our blood pressure (BP). Our body must react to keep blood flowing to the brain, when this process fails we develop orthostatic hypotension (OH). This is very common and debilitating in older people. This population are keen to avoid further medication and have prioritised non-drug therapies for research.
When we tense our leg muscles, blood is forced back up towards the head (this is the skeletal muscle pump). This improves BP in 44% of older people with OH.
The aim of this ‘proof of concept’ study is to see if the skeletal muscle pump can become more effective by strengthening the leg muscles.
To do this we will recruit 15 older people with OH and monitor their BP, muscle strength and skeletal muscle pump efficiency before, during and after an exercise programme. We will randomise participants to either two, three, or four weeks of baseline observation. Then all participants will receive an individualised 8-week leg strengthening exercise programme, which they will perform at home. A research assistant (RA) will visit participants each week to monitor BP, strength and exercise progress. One month later the outcomes will be measured again and they will be offered a qualitative interview to explore whether the intervention was acceptable and how it could be improved.
Participants will also visit the Freeman Hospital four times over the course of the study to assess changes in the skeletal muscle pump. This is done by applying a large blood pressure cuff around the leg while contracting the muscles.
Analysis will focus on clinical rather than statistical significance. If the exercise does improve the standing BP, the results will be used to develop a clinical trial.REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NE/0173
Date of REC Opinion
11 May 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion