Exploratory study of the prevalence & experience of cardiac cachexia within a population with advanced heart failure in Northern Ireland
Dr Matthew Carson (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthew-Carson)
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Project Title |
Exploratory study of the prevalence & experience of cardiac cachexia within a population with advanced heart failure in Northern Ireland |
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Research Focus |
This research focuses on an exploration of cardiac cachexia, which is a currently an understudied and poorly identified wasting syndrome. Patients with heart failure will be recruited and screened for markers of cardiac cachexia. Measurements and questionnaires will allow the impact of the syndrome to be determined, and this will be further assessed through interviews with patients and caregivers |
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Funder & Dates |
NICHS (Grant number: 2018_08) March 2018 |
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Principal Investigator or Primary Supervisor |
Professor Donna Fitzsimons |
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Co-Investigators or additional supervisors |
Professor Joanne Reid Dr Loreena Hill Dr Lana Dixon Dr Patrick Donnelly Dr Paul Slater Dr Alyson Hill |
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Research Fellow(s) or PhD Student |
Dr Matthew Carson |
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Name of External Partner Organisations |
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust Ulster University |
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Description of Project: Aim; Methods; Expected Outcomes
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Background: Cachexia is a complex and multifactorial syndrome defined as severe weight loss and muscle wasting which frequently goes unrecognised in clinical practice. It is a debilitating syndrome, resulting in patients experiencing decreased quality of life and an increased risk of premature death. Cardiac cachexia is understudied to date – despite its potential prevalence and impact in patients who have advanced heart failure. Aims:
Methods: A mixed methods cross-sectional study. Phase 1: A purposive sample of 362 patients with moderate to severe heart failure from two Trusts within the United Kingdom will be assessed for known characteristics of cachexia (loss of weight, loss of muscle, muscle mass/strength, anorexia, fatigue and selected biomarkers), through basic measurements (i.e. mid-upper arm circumference) and use of three validated questionnaires; focusing on fatigue, quality of life and appetite. Phase 2: Qualitative semi-structured interviews with patients (n = 12) that meet criteria for cachexia, and their caregivers (n = 12), will explore their experience of this syndrome and its impact on daily life. Interviews will be digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, prior to qualitative thematic and content analysis. Phase 3: Workshops with key stakeholders (patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals and policy makers) will be used to discuss study findings and identify practice implications to be tested in further research. Expected outcomes: Data collected as part of this study will allow the prevalence of cardiac cachexia in a group of patients with moderate to severe heart failure to be determined. It will also provide a unique insight into the implications and personal experience of cardiac cachexia for both patients and carers. It is hoped that robust quantitative data and rich qualitative perspectives will promote crucial clinical discussions on implications for practice, including targeted interventions to improve patients’ quality of life where appropriate. |
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Links/URLs to external pages |
An exploration of the prevalence and experience of cardiac cachexia: protocol for a mixed methods cross sectional study https://bmcpalliatcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12904-019-0471-0 The need for a specific definition of cardiac cachexia https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474515119866686 The challenge of cardiac cachexia https://journals.sagepub.com/page/cnu/virtual-special-issue/the_challenge_of_cardiac_cachexia |