Molecular mechanisms of hospitalised patients with pneumonia.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Defining molecular mechanisms and endophenotypes of hospitalised patients with acute respiratory failure from severe pneumonia (Epi-Pneumonia):A bench to bedside pilot study.
IRAS ID
341941
Contact name
Ahilanandan Dushianthan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Pneumonia is a common clinical illness in the UK, with around 1% of the UK population contracting this disease each year. It is usually caused by viral, bacterial or fungal infection, leading to inflammation of one or both lungs. There is a lack of identification of reliable specific markers for the development of lung injury caused by pneumonia. In this illness the air sacs (or alveoli) in lungs which move oxygen into and carbon dioxide out of the body, become filled with fluid and/or pus impairing their ability to work effectively. Usually, alveoli are kept open by detergent-like material in the lungs called "surfactant" so they can work properly. This can become impaired in pneumonia, causing alveolar collapse, leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). When patients develop ARDS, the likelihood of dying in ICU is as high as 30-50%.
Damage to the alveoli during ARDS should result in altered respiratory tract lining fluid (RTLF) composition and monitoring RTLF composition has the potential to provide early indication of respiratory deterioration prior to physical symptoms. Obtaining respiratory fluid samples from the deep part of the lung can also be challenging and often very invasive. We aim to implement novel non-invasive PExA method to evaluate the particles in exhaled air as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of pneumonia.
In this study we will recruit participants from four categories, namely: healthy volunteers, patients hospitalised for pneumonia needing at least 30% of oxygen (non-ICU), patients needing non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation. This study will identify characteristic markers for pneumonia to predict patients at risk of deterioration. It will also provide information for the design of future research studies, towards providing rapid, more accurate diagnostic techniques for clinicians to identify development of ARDS prior to presentation of current clinical symptoms.
REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
24/WA/0131
Date of REC Opinion
14 May 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion