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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Asad Abbas Dr Asad Abbas, MD MBBS FRCPCH
+441214721377
asad.abbas1@nhs.net
Andrew Pearce Dr Andrew Pearce, MBBS MRCPCH
andrewjames.pearce@nhs.net
Premature Baby Pulmonary Hypertension of Newborn Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Chronic Lung DIsease
This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.
This study aims to improve how neonatologists check the heart function of newborn babies, especially those who are sick. While standard heart ultrasound scans are useful, a more advanced and sensitive technique called 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) can detect subtle problems with how the heart muscle squeezes and relaxes. This may allow doctors to spot potential issues earlier.
Our research will take place at Birmingham Women's Hospital. The investigators will perform these advanced, non-invasive heart scans on several groups of babies:
1. Healthy term and premature babies, to establish a "normal" range of heart function.
2. Babies who are unwell with specific conditions, including those with brain injury due to lack of oxygen at birth (HIE), chronic lung disease of prematurity (BPD), a hole in the diaphragm (CDH), or high blood pressure in their lungs (aPHN).
The heart scan is a standard, painless procedure. Using STE does not require any extra scanning time or cause any additional discomfort to the baby; the special images are taken during the routine scan. For many of the sick babies, these scans are already part of their normal clinical care.
The main goals of this observational study are to see if STE is a feasible and reliable tool in newborns, to establish normal values for healthy babies, and to track how heart function changes in sick babies during their illness and recovery.
Ultimately, the investigators hope this research will provide doctors with a better tool to assess heart health in newborns. This could lead to earlier, more accurate detection of heart problems and help guide treatment decisions to improve outcomes for these vulnerable infants.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
This is in the inclusion criteria above
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
Andrew Pearce Dr Andrew Pearce, MBBS MRCPCH
andrewjames.pearce@nhs.net
Asad Abbas Dr Asad Abbas, MD MBBS FRCPCH
+441214721377
asad.abbas1@nhs.net
The study is sponsored by Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
