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Pleural EffusionCOSINENCT05945043

Continuation Of a Study to Investigate the Effect of Thoracocentesis on Neural Respiratory Drive in Pleural Effusion

An observational study of Pleural Effusion, run by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust at 1 site in United Kingdom.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The aim of this study is to better understand the relationship between pleural effusions and breathlessness in patients with unilateral pleural effusions and breathlessness who require pleural fluid removal for its management. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Pleural Effusion
What is being tested?
Surface parasternal eletromyogram, Surface diaphragm electromyogram and Parasternal muscle ultrasound
How many people
124 participants
Where
1 siteUnited Kingdom
Study dates
15 Nov 2023to 30 Jun 2027
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Adult patients with unilateral pleural effusions requiring pleural fluid removal via thoracocentesis, chest drain insertion or IPC drainage for management of their breathlessness.

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18 years or above
  • Has a unilateral pleural effusion AND
  • require thoracocentesis OR
  • chest drain insertion (main study only) OR
  • has an IPC in situ (main study only)

Who cannot join

  • Inability to consent
  • Any contraindications to the proposed pleural procedure
  • Haemodynamic or clinical instability that precludes from the safe completion of required pre-procedural measurements
  • Inability to identify surface landmarks for surface EMG electrode placement
  • Past medical history of diaphragmatic paralysis (diaphragm sub study only)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

United Kingdom1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

    London, London, SE1 9RT

    Gill Radcliffe, 02071888070, gillian.radcliffe@gstt.nhs.uk

    Recruiting

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

Official title: Continuation Of a Study to Investigate the Effect of Thoracocentesis on Neural Respiratory Drive in Pleural Effusion (COSINE)

The aim of this study is to better understand the relationship between pleural effusions and breathlessness in patients with unilateral pleural effusions and breathlessness who require pleural fluid removal for its management.

Read the detailed description

This study will involve 124 adult patients who are breathlessness with pleural effusions. They will be recruited from a single UK centre over an 18-month period.

After being informed about the study, all patients giving written informed consent will undergo a baseline assessment when they first come to have their fluid drained. The investigators will record information about them and their disease. The investigators will take measurements of their breathlessness, their breathing muscles, and the electrical activity from the brain to those muscles. These will be taken at the start and end of drainage, as well as 1 day and 7 days after. The investigators will use this information to look for links between the effect of pleural effusions and its removal on the electrical activities of the breathing muscles and patients' breathlessness.

Being tested
Surface parasternal eletromyogram, Surface diaphragm electromyogram, Parasternal muscle ultrasound, Breathlessness assessment
Keywords
Pleural effusion, Breathlessness, Neural respiratory drive, Neurophysiology
Medical subject headings
Pleural Effusion, Dyspnea

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Surface parasternal eletromyogramOther

    The surface parasternal EMG of participants will be measured pre, immediately post and at days 1 and 7 following pleural fluid removal

  • Surface diaphragm electromyogramOther

    The ipsilateral and contralateral surface diaphragm EMG of participants will be measured pre and immediately post pleural fluid removal

  • Parasternal muscle ultrasoundOther

    The thickness of the parasternal intercostal muscle of participants will be measured using thoracic ultrasound pre and immediately post pleural fluid removal

  • Breathlessness assessmentOther

    The VAS breathlessness score and Dyspnoea-12 questionnaire of participants will be measured pre, immediately post and at days 1 and 7 following pleural fluid removal

Study groups in NCT05945043
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Symptomatic pleural effuionPatients with symptomatic unilateral pleural effusion of any cause who will be undergoing pleural fluid removal via thoracocentesis, chest drain insertion or IPC drainage for relief of their breathlessness.
Receives: Other: Surface parasternal eletromyogram; Other: Surface diaphragm electromyogram; Other: Parasternal muscle ultrasound; Other: Breathlessness assessment

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Neural respiratory drive (as measured by surface parasternal EMG) at 24 hours post pleural fluid removal

    Neural respiratory drive index (as measured by surface parasternal EMG)

    Measured: 24 hours

  2. Patient reported breathlessness (as measured by VAS dyspnoea score) at 24 hours post pleural fluid removal

    VAS dyspnoea score

    Measured: 24 hours

Secondary outcomes (10)
  1. Neural respiratory drive (as measured by surface parasternal EMG) at other time points post pleural fluid removal

    Neural respiratory drive index (as measured by surface parasternal EMG)

    Measured: pre procedure, immediately post procedure and daily up to 7 days

  2. Patient reported breathlessness (as measured by VAS dyspnoea score) at other time points post pleural fluid removal

    VAS dyspnoea score

    Measured: pre procedure, immediately post procedure and daily up to and 7 days

  3. The effect on exercise capacity of pleural fluid removal.

    6 min walk test

    Measured: pre procedure, immediately post procedure, 1 day and 7 days

  4. Pleural effusion characteristics as measured by thoracic ultrasound

    Thoracic ultrasound

    Measured: immediately post procedure, 1 day and 7 days

  5. To determine the acceptability of incorporating surface parasternal EMG measurement as part of routine clinical practice to patients and clinicians

    Qualitative feedback form

    Measured: peri-procedural

  6. Neural respiratory drive (as measured by surface diaphragm EMG) of the ipsilateral hemidiaphragm following thoracocentesis

    Neural respiratory drive index (as measured by surface diaphragm EMG)

    Measured: peri-procedural

  7. Ipsilateral hemidiaphragm morphology and movement as measured by thoracic ultrasound.

    Thoracic ultrasound

    Measured: peri-procedural

  8. Neural respiratory drive (as measured by surface diaphragm EMG) of the contralateral hemidiaphragm following thoracocentesis

    Neural respiratory drive index (as measured by surface diaphragm EMG)

    Measured: peri-procedural

  9. Contralateral hemidiaphragm morphology and movement as measured by thoracic ultrasound.

    Thoracic ultrasound

    Measured: peri-procedural

  10. Parasternal intercostal muscle thickness as measured by thoracic ultrasound following pleural fluid removal

    Thoracic ultrasound

    Measured: peri-procedural

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 Jul 2023
  2. Study start15 Nov 2023
  3. Primary completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
124 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05945043
Sponsor's protocol ID
322762
Acronym
COSINE
Status last verified
Jun 2026
First submitted
7 Jun 2023
Last updated
4 Jun 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Bhatnagar R, Maskell N. The modern diagnosis and management of pleural effusions. BMJ. 2015 Sep 8;351:h4520. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4520. No abstract available.

    PubMed 26350935
  • Marel M, Zrustova M, Stasny B, Light RW. The incidence of pleural effusion in a well-defined region. Epidemiologic study in central Bohemia. Chest. 1993 Nov;104(5):1486-9. doi: 10.1378/chest.104.5.1486.

    PubMed 8222812
  • Thomas R, Jenkins S, Eastwood PR, Lee YC, Singh B. Physiology of breathlessness associated with pleural effusions. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2015 Jul;21(4):338-45. doi: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000000174.

    PubMed 25978627
  • Estenne M, Yernault JC, De Troyer A. Mechanism of relief of dyspnea after thoracocentesis in patients with large pleural effusions. Am J Med. 1983 May;74(5):813-9. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(83)91072-0.

    PubMed 6837605
  • Psallidas I, Yousuf A, Talwar A, Hallifax RJ, Mishra EK, Corcoran JP, Ali N, Rahman NM. Assessment of patient-reported outcome measures in pleural interventions. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2017 Jul 3;4(1):e000171. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2016-000171. eCollection 2017.

    PubMed 28883922
  • Muruganandan S, Azzopardi M, Thomas R, Fitzgerald DB, Kuok YJ, Cheah HM, Read CA, Budgeon CA, Eastwood PR, Jenkins S, Singh B, Murray K, Lee YCG. The Pleural Effusion And Symptom Evaluation (PLEASE) study of breathlessness in patients with a symptomatic pleural effusion. Eur Respir J. 2020 May 14;55(5):1900980. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00980-2019. Print 2020 May.

    PubMed 32079642
  • Nishino T. Dyspnoea: underlying mechanisms and treatment. Br J Anaesth. 2011 Apr;106(4):463-74. doi: 10.1093/bja/aer040. Epub 2011 Mar 4.

    PubMed 21378105
  • Light RW, Stansbury DW, Brown SE. The relationship between pleural pressures and changes in pulmonary function after therapeutic thoracentesis. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1986 Apr;133(4):658-61. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1986.133.4.658.

    PubMed 3963629
  • Skaarup SH, Lonni S, Quadri F, Valsecchi A, Ceruti P, Marchetti G. Ultrasound Evaluation of Hemidiaphragm Function Following Thoracentesis: A Study on Mechanisms of Dyspnea Related to Pleural Effusion. J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol. 2020 Jul;27(3):172-178. doi: 10.1097/LBR.0000000000000627.

    PubMed 31651544
  • Fitzgerald DB, Muruganandan S, Peddle-McIntyre CJ, Lee YCG, Singh B. Ipsilateral and contralateral hemidiaphragm dynamics in symptomatic pleural effusion: The 2nd PLeural Effusion And Symptom Evaluation (PLEASE-2) Study. Respirology. 2022 Oct;27(10):882-889. doi: 10.1111/resp.14307. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

    PubMed 35672271
  • De Troyer A, Kirkwood PA, Wilson TA. Respiratory action of the intercostal muscles. Physiol Rev. 2005 Apr;85(2):717-56. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00007.2004.

    PubMed 15788709
  • Decramer M. Hyperinflation and respiratory muscle interaction. Eur Respir J. 1997 Apr;10(4):934-41.

    PubMed 9150337
  • Jolley CJ, Moxham J. A physiological model of patient-reported breathlessness during daily activities in COPD. Eur Respir Rev. 2009 Jun;18(112):66-79. doi: 10.1183/09059180.00000809.

    PubMed 20956127
  • Finucane KE, Panizza JA, Singh B. Efficiency of the normal human diaphragm with hyperinflation. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005 Oct;99(4):1402-11. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01165.2004. Epub 2005 Jun 16.

    PubMed 15961606
  • De Troyer A, Wilson TA. Effect of acute inflation on the mechanics of the inspiratory muscles. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2009 Jul;107(1):315-23. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.91472.2008. Epub 2009 Mar 5.

    PubMed 19265064

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Pleural Effusion, run by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust at 1 site in United Kingdom.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Junyi Zhang, MBBChir (02071887188 ext. 56122, junyi.zhang@gstt.nhs.uk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Neural respiratory drive (as measured by surface parasternal EMG) at 24 hours post pleural fluid removal (time frame: 24 hours). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05945043, which also lists 32 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Jun 2026.

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