Monitoring blood flow response to intravenous iloprost
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Monitoring blood flow response to intravenous iloprost
IRAS ID
253695
Contact name
Ariane Herrick
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Monitoring blood flow response to intravenous iloprost
Iloprost is a powerful drug which temporarily causes the dilation or widening of the blood vessels and is often used in the treatment of finger and toe problems caused by scleroderma (also called ‘systemic sclerosis [SSc] and related diseases. This study will examine if different non-invasive techniques are able to detect the change in blood flow in the small blood vessels of the fingers before, during and after intravenous iloprost infusions in patients with SSc and SSc-spectrum disorders. If successful, these techniques are likely to be useful in future clinical trials in this patient group.This small pilot study will be conducted during a routine hospital stay for patients who are receiving a 5-day course of iloprost infusions at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust during the winter months of 2018/2019. Patients over 18 years of age with SSc admitted for intravenous iloprost infusion (because of severe digital ischaemia) will be eligible to take part. Patients will be on study for 5 days.
Patients will be assessed before the start and after the completion of the 5-day course of iloprost infusions. Patients will also have measurements taken before, during and after at least one single infusion of iloprost. Non-invasive techniques will be used to measure the finger blood response to the iloprost infusion including (a) ‘standard’ thermography during a cold challenge (b) thermography using a mobile phone(c) nailfold capillaroscopy and (d) continuous temperature monitoring of the finger using a thermocouple attached to the finger. Thermography uses an infra-red camera to record heat distribution. Nailfold capillaroscopy uses a microscope attached to a camera which allows us to take pictures of the small blood vessels next to the finger nails. These techniques will allow us to assess if we can reliably record the blood flow response of the fingers to the iloprost infusion.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0346
Date of REC Opinion
16 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion