Acute Microvascular Changes With LDL Apheresis

Completed

Conditions studied: Hyperlipidemia

In brief

Severe hypercholesterolemia produced by conditions such as heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is associated with multiple complications including premature atherosclerotic disease. There is evidence that microvascular perfusion, particularly flow reserve, in critical organs is limited due to abnormalities in plasma viscosity, abnormal RBC deformability, and an imbalance between vasodilators and vasoconstrictors. There is little is currently known about acute changes in microvascular blood flow and microvascular rheology that occur in response to plasmapharesis which is used in some patients to lower critically elevated cholesterol levels. Our research group has pioneered CEU methods for assessing myocardial and skeletal muscle perfusion, and has previously demonstrated in pre-clinical models that acute hyperlipidemia produces a reduction in microvascular RBC transit rate. In this study, the investigators will assess acute changes in microvascular perfusion in patients undergoing clinically-indicated plasmapharesis.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02388633

Run by

Oregon Health and Science University

People needed

8

Starts

2015-03-01

Expected to finish

2018-07-01

Last updated by the study team

2021-04-01

Who can join

Age: 19 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• hypercholesterolemia (LDL >200 mg/dL)
• clinically-indicated aphersis for hyperlipidemia
• age >18 y.o.

You may not qualify if…

• pregnant or lactating females
• hypersensitivity to ultrasound contrast agents
• evidence for right to left or bidirectional shunt
• on anticoagulants

Where it is running

• Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, Oregon, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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