Utility of sendaway NTproBNP
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing the utility of capillary sendaway NT-proBNP in pulmonary hypertension across the UK.
IRAS ID
299472
Contact name
John Wort
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a condition caused by raised pressure within the blood vessels of the lungs. Over time, PH places strain on one of the chambers of the heart called the right ventricle (RV). Currently, a blood test called N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is used to monitor how much strain is placed on the RV. This is used to assess and monitor the disease severity.
NT-proBNP samples are currently collected through standard blood tests, where blood is accessed from a vein, using a needle and blood bottle (venepuncture). This means that for virtual patient appointments these data are not available. It would therefore be useful to develop a sendaway test whereby patients could perform a NT-proBNP test at home and sendaway the result in time for their next clinic appointment. Thriva LTD have developed this using capillary blood samples. In this system, patients receive a kit in the post and use a small lancet to perform a finger-prick, producing a small drop of blood. This sent to a central Thriva laboratory in the post and the results are made available to the team looking after that patient.
This study aims to investigate how well Thriva sendaway tests compare to current standard samples for NT-proBNP by venepuncture. Additionally it aims to assess for erroneous results in the scenario of tests arriving late in the post to the Thriva lab.
This study will look at patients with certain types of pulmonary hypertension. A range of blood samples will be taken at a single clinic visit including standard venepuncture and capillary finger-prick. These samples will be then analysed to see how closely they agree.
REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0097
Date of REC Opinion
15 Feb 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion