The MOVE trial - MetabOlites in VitrEous fluid
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Exploration of the Relation Between the Concentration of Opiate and Benzodiazepine Levels in Vitreous Humour and Blood in Patients Undergoing Vitrectomy as a Routine Ophthalmic Procedure.
IRAS ID
127776
Contact name
Tamas Hickish
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Vitreous humour (a jelly-like liquid that fills the cavity of the eye) is becoming widely recognised as a matrix for analysis in post-mortem investigation particularly in cases where conventional specimens such as blood may be unavailable e.g. fire deaths, individuals exposed to severe trauma, decomposed bodies or in cases where the interval between death and autopsy exceeds more than a few days. Little is known however about the relationship between drugs in blood and vitreous humour.
Several autopsy studies have demonstrated that many drugs and their metabolites can enter vitreous humour in measurable quantities (Sanches et al 2012, Rees et al 2013) however the interpretation of blood: vitreous ratios is complex since information is often lacking about the timing and doses of drug consumed by individuals who have died.
This study takes the opportunity to utilise vitreous humour taken at vitrectomy, which is typically discarded, to explore the relationship and distribution between the metabolites of the opiates and benzodiazepines used in routine pre medication for general anaesthesia. The study would also provide a basis to facilitate the investigation of new non-invasive technologies i.e. Raman spectroscopy, that could be developed for near patient drug screening.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0540
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion