The PRE18FFIR-EXTEND study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Prediction of Recurrent Events with 18F-Fluoride to Identify Ruptured and High-risk Coronary Artery Plaques in Patients with Myocardial Infarction - extend study
IRAS ID
340042
Contact name
David Newby
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Heart attacks are caused by a blood clot which stops blood flowing to part of the heart muscle. The blood clots form in areas of blood vessels (arteries) that are damaged (inflamed) by a build-up of small fatty lumps (plaques). The fatty lumps can break and cause blood to stick to the wall of the blood vessel. It appears that this process can also occur without causing any symptoms and may put patients at increased risk of heart attacks in the future. It has also been shown that patients with a heart attack often have more than one damaged plaque.
The PRE18FFIR study has shown a specialised scanning technique known as PET (positron emission tomography) using a tracer called 18F-sodium fluoride can identify these damaged plaques in patients with a recent heart attack, and predict those at risk of further heart attacks or heart problems in the future.
This is an extended follow-up of the PRE18FFIR study. The aim of this study is to determine whether heart blood vessel 18F-sodium fluoride uptake is associated with longer-term risk of heart attack, death or requirement for further treatment of heart vessels with heart artery stents (small scaffold structures designed to treat heart artery plaques).
The PRE18FFIR study has planned to continue collecting longer-term outcomes in patients up to 5 years after study completion. The participants have already consent to the research based on periodic review of their electronic health records. We will use a standardised template to collect clinical outcome data from each participating site every year up to a total follow up of 5 years. Site staff will access participants’ electronic health records and identify the outcomes of interest: cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack), all cause death, cancer death and coronary revascularisation (insertion of stent into heart artery).
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0075
Date of REC Opinion
28 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion