Radiological ASsessment of Pneumothorax (RASP)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Radiological ASsessment of Pneumothorax (RASP)
IRAS ID
327232
Contact name
Steven Walker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research and Development
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
A pneumothorax is an abnormal collection of air in the space between the lung and the chest wall, causing collapse of the lung. The air escapes the lung via a hole in the lining around the lung (the pleura). Typically, doctors remove the air using a tube put into the chest, with the air passing down the tube to a water filled container, where it forms bubbles. Doctors use these bubbles to assess whether the hole in the lining in the lung has healed and therefore whether the tube can be removed.
Recently, doctors in clinical trials have successfully managed patients with a pneumothorax without a tube. This has raised a question: what if inserting the tube makes the hole in the lung less likely to heal, by encouraging air to pass through it. Until recently this has been a difficult question to answer as doctors have been unable to directly observe the air leaking out the hole in the lining in the lung. However, a new radiology technique using a 3-dimensional CT scanner can picture the air leak as it happens. Using this new scanner, we could look at the effect a chest tube and placing the drain on suction has on the air leaking through the hole in the lining of the lung and determine whether insertion of a chest tube is still an appropriate therapy.
If this study showed that the chest tube or using suction worsens the air leak, this could change dramatically how we manage this patient population. Also, if we can find out where exactly from the lung the air-leak is coming from, this may help us design future management strategies for patients not suitable for a surgical procedure.REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0072
Date of REC Opinion
5 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion