RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Development of Novel Physiological CMR Methods in Health and Disease

This research uses advanced MRI scans, called "Physiological CMR," to get a clearer picture of how hearts work. It's looking at healthy volunteers and people with various heart issues, such as heart failure, high blood pressure in the lungs, or those who've had a heart attack. The doctors want to see how the heart reacts to small stresses, like receiving a bit of extra fluid, to understand how it adapts. By doing this, they hope to find new and better ways to assess heart health and understand how heart diseases develop. This new scanning method can even track blood flow inside the heart in 3D over time and scan without needing to hold your breath, making it more comfortable.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Enrolment target

135

Start

30 Jul 2018

Estimated completion

01 Jan 2031

Heart Failure Pulmonary Hypertension Myocardial Infarction Coronary Artery Disease

What is this study about?

Imagine your heart as a very busy pump. Doctors often need to see how well this pump is working, especially when it's under a bit of stress. This study uses a special type of MRI scan, called Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR), to do exactly that. It's like giving your heart a mini-workout to see how it responds. There are different ways to do this, such as giving a small amount of fluid directly into your arm (an "intravenous fluid challenge") or other gentle tests, depending on your situation.

Traditional ways of checking the heart, like echocardiograms, are good but sometimes miss subtle details. This research uses exciting new MRI techniques that can create detailed 3D maps of blood flow inside your heart and even take pictures without you holding your breath, making the scan quicker and more comfortable. The main goal is to understand how a healthy heart adjusts to these small challenges, and more importantly, how a heart affected by conditions like heart failure or after a heart attack responds differently. This deeper understanding could help doctors spot heart problems earlier and develop better treatments.

So, why does this matter? By studying these advanced scans in both healthy people and those with heart conditions, the researchers hope to learn how to use these new tools to get a more complete picture of heart health. They want to see if these new scans can help reveal problems that might not be obvious with standard tests. Ultimately, this research aims to improve how heart diseases are diagnosed and how well treatments work, potentially leading to better care for many people.

Key takeaways

This study uses new MRI scans to understand heart function in health and disease.
It aims to see how the heart reacts to gentle stresses, like a fluid boost.
The research hopes to find better ways to diagnose and treat heart conditions.
Scans are designed to be patient-friendly, with minimal breath-holding.
Participation involves an MRI scan and a mild heart "stress test."

Who may be eligible?

This study is looking for both healthy volunteers and people with certain heart conditions. You can take part if you are between 20 and 80 years old and are able to understand and sign a consent form. Healthy volunteers should be staff members from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

For people with heart conditions, they are specifically looking for those with or suspected of having heart failure (either with preserved or reduced ejection fraction), high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), a recent heart attack, or suspected but untreated coronary artery disease.

However, there are some reasons you might not be able to join. These include having very severe heart failure that needs urgent treatment through a drip, having a history of heart attack or certain heart conditions if you're in the groups looking for new heart problems, or having significant valve disease in your heart. If you have an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, or if you can't have an MRI scan for any reason, you won't be able to participate either.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you between 20 and 80 years old?
Are you able to understand and sign a consent form?
For healthy volunteers: Are you a Sheffield Teaching Hospitals staff member?
Do you have one of these conditions: heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, recent heart attack, or suspected coronary artery disease?
Do you have any metal in your body that might stop you from having an MRI?
Do you have severe heart failure needing urgent IV treatment or significant heart valve disease?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to take part, you'll have a comprehensive heart MRI scan. This scan will involve a gentle "stress test" which might be a small amount of fluid given into a vein, or another simple test, depending on which group you are in. For some people, particularly those being checked for blockages in their heart arteries, it might involve medication given during the scan to gently challenge the heart. The MRI scans are designed to be as comfortable as possible, requiring minimal breath-holding.

Some patients might have follow-up scans after they've received treatment to see how their heart has responded. The exact number of visits and the total duration will depend on whether you are a healthy volunteer or a patient and which specific heart condition group you are in. You will be told all the details before you agree to take part.

Potential risks and benefits

Taking part in this study could help doctors better understand heart conditions, which might lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for future patients. For you personally, the scans might provide more detailed information about your heart health, though the main aim is for research. As with any medical procedure, there are some small risks, such as those associated with having an MRI scan (like being in a confined space), or the minor discomfort from an intravenous drip for the fluid challenge or medication. Your safety is very important, and you will be carefully monitored throughout. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your medical care.

Locations (1)

Some site locations are approximate. We're improving this — please verify with the trial team before travelling.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
Verified postcode
Sheffield, United Kingdom· Recruiting

Common questions

What is a 'Physiological CMR' scan?

It's a special type of MRI scan that looks at your heart while it's gently challenged, like by giving a bit of fluid. This helps doctors see how your heart works under slight stress.

Will I have to hold my breath a lot during the scan?

No, the new scanning methods used in this study are designed to need very little breath-holding, making the scan more comfortable for you.

What is the 'fluid challenge'?

It's when a small amount of fluid is given into a vein in your arm. This is a gentle way to temporarily increase the amount of fluid returning to your heart, helping doctors see how it copes.

Is an MRI scan safe?

MRI scans are generally very safe. However, they use strong magnets, so you will be carefully checked beforehand to make sure it's safe for you to have one, especially if you have any metal in your body.

Will I get results from my scan?

While the main goal is research, if any findings from your scan are important for your health, they will be shared with your doctors, who will then discuss them with you.

How to find out more

Helen Denney

h.denney@nhs.net 0114 2269047 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.