Transoesophageal echocardiography in cardiac surgery Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The utility of novel measurements of diastolic function involving transoesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography in the peri-operative period in patients undergoing cardiac surgery – an exploratory trial
IRAS ID
147689
Contact name
Andrew Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London Hospitals
Research summary
Echocardiography involves the use of ultrasound waves to image tissues of the heart. It is integral to investigating and guiding clinicians during the care of patients with heart disease. During heart surgery, all patients undergo transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE). TTE involves imaging the heart with a probe placed on the chest and it is performed in all patients before and after surgery. TOE involved inserting a probe into the food pipe under full general anaesthesia. This probe sits behind the heart and images are obtained. TOE is performed in all patients undergoing cardiac surgery with the exception of patients where TOE is contraindicated. In this clinical trial, we intend to investigate the utility of novel measurements obtained during the care a patient receives for cardiac surgery to determine whether these are useful indicators of prognosis and outcome. They are as follows:
1. Novel measures of left and right heart relaxation (diastolic function) and their relevance to outcome in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
2. The effect of a routinely used drug, VIZ enoximone, on left heart relaxation function and whether this affects the outcome.
The study will be conducted at The Heart Hospital in London, a tertiary level cardiac centre which performs over 800 heart operations a year. The participants in the trial will not undergo any new interventions other than routine care and the measurements described above can be obtained during routine imaging.REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1097
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion