Evaluation of bioelectrical impedance testing in hospital inpatients.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of bioelectrical impedance testing in hospital inpatients.
IRAS ID
149768
Contact name
A Forbes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UEA
Research summary
Bioelectrical impedance testing is a method used to determine the body composition (how much water, muscle and fat, for example). It requires the subject to be connected to a small electrical device very much like an Electrocardiogram but with the connections only at one wrist and one ankle. It takes only about 5 minutes but it has been thought necessary for the subject to be fully rested and starved beforehand, which has made it really rather impractical for use in many clinical settings. The study aims to test patients first thing in the morning when they are starved and rested but then to test them again after breakfast and then once more after some exercise. It will then be possible to know if the restrictions are truly necessary. If not then the technique will become a great deal more valuable in day-to-day nutritional practice. The opportunity will be taken to cross-check the impedance results with those of other measurements of nutritional integrity which will include a single blood sample, and the traditional measurement of the muscle and fat content using calipers to the skin - a painless and quick procedure but one often considered unreliable and impractical.
REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
14/NI/1085
Date of REC Opinion
4 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion