Comparison of Vascular Function in Emergency Service Professionals

NCT01813032 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 11-SS-0085PG/11/27/28842
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 36
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Emergency Service Professionals have an increased risk of death from heart attacks when compared to the general public. All the emergency professions share similar responsibilities such as emergency call-outs and shift work. Heart disease is the commonest cause of on-duty death amongst fire-fighters accounting for 45% and compared with 22% in police officers and 15% in the general population. The unique risk to fire-fighters is likely to reflect a combination of factors including extreme physical exertion, mental stress, heat and pollutant exposure. In this study the investigators will assess healthy career fire-fighters and age-matched healthy police officer control subjects following a sedentary period. The investigators will take blood samples to measure platelet activity (platelets are the particles in blood that help blood clot) and will examine how blood clots outside of the body. The investigators will then perform studies placing small needles in the arm to assess how the blood vessels respond following these duties. The investigators hypothesise that fire-fighters do not have pre-existing impairment of heart, blood or blood vessel function as a cumulative effect of their occupation, but rather these are acute and transitory effects following distinct fire-fighter duties. We therefore expect similar results in both occupational groups.

Conditions

Vascular Function; Atherothrombosis

Keywords

firefighters; police officers; emergency service professionals; myocardial infarction; endothelial function; thrombosis

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Forearm blood flow measured by venous occlusion plethysmography in response to infused vasodilators

  following 48 hours off duty

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Ex-vivo thrombus formation using the Badimon chamber

  following 48 hours off duty

• Plasma t-PA and PAI concentrations following infusion of bradykinin

  During forearm study, following 48 hours off duty

Study Arms (2)

Firefighters

20 firefighters will attend for vascular assessments following a minimum of 48 hours off-duty.

Procedure: Forearm Vascular Study; Procedure: Badimon Chamber

Police Officers

20 police officers will attend for vascular assessments following a minimum of 48 hours off-duty.

Procedure: Forearm Vascular Study; Procedure: Badimon Chamber

Interventions

Forearm Vascular Study PROCEDURE

Forearm venous occlusion plethysmography to measure forearm blood flow during intra-arterial infusion of the vasodilators Verapamil (10-100 µg/min), bradykinin (100-1000 pmol/min), sodium nitroprusside (2-8 µg/min) and Acetylcholine (5-20 µg/min).

Also known as: BK, SNP, ACh, VP

Firefighters; Police Officers

Badimon Chamber PROCEDURE

Ex-vivo assessment of thrombus formation using the Badimon Chamber

Firefighters; Police Officers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Subjects will be healthy, non-smoking, whole-time firefighters working within Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service and age- and sex-matched police officers who are also healthy and non-smokers working within Lothian and Borders Police Force.

You may qualify if:

• Non-smoking healthy firefighters

You may not qualify if:

• Current smoker
• History of lung or ischaemic heart disease
• Malignant arrhythmia
• Systolic blood pressure \>190mmHg or \<100mmHg
• Renal or hepatic dysfunction
• Previous history of blood dyscrasia
• Unable to tolerate the supine position
• Blood donation within the last 3 months
• Recent respiratory tract infection within the past 4 weeks
• Routine medication including aspirin and NSAIDs

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Edinburgh: lead

Study Sites (1)

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility

Edinburgh, EH16 4SA, United Kingdom

Location

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITHOUT DNA

Plasma and urine.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Thrombosis; Myocardial Infarction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Embolism and Thrombosis; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Myocardial Ischemia; Heart Diseases; Infarction; Ischemia; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Necrosis

Study Officials

• David E Newby, MD PhD

  University of Edinburgh

  STUDY CHAIR

• Nicholas L Mills, MBChB PhD

  University of Edinburgh

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Amanda L Hunter, MBChB

  University of Edinburgh

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 14, 2013
• First Posted: March 18, 2013
• Study Start: April 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2013
• Study Completion: April 1, 2013
• Last Updated: May 3, 2024

Record last verified: 2013-03

Locations

GB (1)