TAP DROP
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does response to therapeutic aspiration predict response to a definitive procedure in patients with a pleural effusion?
IRAS ID
334832
Contact name
Eleanor Mishra
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
A pleural effusion is fluid which has built up between the lung and chest wall which affects 250,000 to 300,000 people a year. Symptoms of this include feeling breathless, cough and chest pain. Treatment goals are to help symptoms and avoid hospital admission. We do this by draining fluid off (therapeutic aspiration), but it often returns. When this happens, we offer the patient a definitive intervention (indwelling pleural catheter or chest drain and pleurodesis). However, one third of patients do not find their breathing improves. Current British Thoracic Society guidelines advise offering a definitive procedure to patients likely to benefit.
Presently, there is no way to predict which patients will benefit from a definitive intervention. Usual clinical practice is to ask the patient if they benefitted from the initial therapeutic aspiration, and only offer a definitive procedure to those who obtained symptomatic benefit. However, there is currently limited evidence for this.
The primary aim of this study is to see whether there is a correlation between breathlessness relief following therapeutic aspiration and definitive procedure. It will be run at three centres in the UK and involve 60 patients over 1 year. When patients first come to have fluid drained, we will record information about them and their disease. We will measure how patients rate their breathlessness before a therapeutic aspiration and then again after a permanent intervention is performed. We will then analyse this to establish if any correlations can be identified.
Correlations established from this project will be used to inform patients so they can choose the best treatment for them with a more personalised approach. This will control their breathlessness better and prevent them coming into hospital. This will also help to prevent the occurrence of unnecessary procedures in patients who are unlikely to derive symptomatic benefit.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0066
Date of REC Opinion
19 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion