Non-Contact Measurement of Aortic Compliance

Barts & The London NHS Trust

Status: Completed

Conditions: Vascular Disease

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00987181

II-FS-0109-11005

i4i Track 1

Details and patient eligibility

About

Reduced aortic stiffness is a powerful way to predict the outcome of cardiovascular (CV) disease. There are several non invasive methods for its estimation, most of which are based on the measurement of speed of the arterial pulse wave. (The stiffer the artery, the faster the pulse wave travels.) They rely on detecting the arterial pulse with 2 sensors placed on the skin a known distance apart and measuring the time for the pulse to travel between them. However all current methods require skilled operators and are of limited accuracy. Thus, there is a need for an easy to use and reliable device to measure pulse speed. The aim of this project is to develop a non contact device to detect the aortic pulse as it moves into the small arteries following the ribs, using the principle of thermal imaging, by means of a high sensitivity infra red camera, directed towards the subjects back. The investigators plan to validate the device and conduct a small feasibility study in patients undergoing elective angiography, by simultaneously measuring pulse speed using established methods. These are Doppler ultrasound (non-invasive) and direct intra-arterial measurement (the gold standard).

Enrollment: 80 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years and above
• Patients eligible for coronary angiography
• Informed consent obtained
• Able to complete experimental protocol

Exclusion criteria

• Refusal of consent
• Age below 18 years
• Breast feeding
• Known or suspected pregnancy
• Patient participating in another study at time of study entry or previous participation in this registry
• diagnosed but untreated hypertension

Trial design

80 participants in 2 patient groups

Angiography high risk

Description:

Patients with multiple risk factors, positive non-invasive test, or known pre-existing coronary artery/vascular disease. Patients with diabetes mellitus will be identified, and subject to a sub-group analysis.

Angiography Low Risk

Description:

Patients with chest pain symptoms, minimal risk factors, and inconclusive evidence of myocardial ischaemia on non-invasive testing.