Completed

FurosAHSpecificity of Dyspnoea Relief With Inhaled Furosemide

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What is being tested

Furosemide

+ Saline

Drug
Who is being recruted

Dyspnea+4

+ Hypercapnia

+ Respiration Disorders

Over 18 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Basic Science Study

Phase 1
Interventional
Study Start: October 2015
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorOxford Brookes University
Last updated: January 27, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: October 1, 2015

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 16 healthy volunteers will attend 4 sessions. After 2 practice sessions subjects will undergo 2 test days where they will be made to feel 'air hunger' (hypercapnia with constrained ventilation) before and after mist inhalations on one day and sense of breathing 'effort' (raised ventilation with external resistive load) before and after mist inhalations on the second test day. The mist will either be furosemide or a placebo (saline) mist. The urge to urinate from systemic absorption from the lungs will be accounted for by a concomitant administration of intravenous furosemide when saline is inhaled. Furosemide is a prescription drug which makes kidneys produce more urine. When administered by inhalation as an aerosol it has direct action in the lungs which sensitises slowly adapting stretch receptors which is believed to account for the relief of dyspnoea previously reported with inhaled furosemide. Vagal afferents from the pulmonary stretch receptors are known to be involved in relief of air hunger but it is not known if they will also relieve the sense of breathing effort. Relief of breathlessness will be measured and compared between the two trial days to see if furosemide specifically relieves the 'air hunger' type of breathlessness and not the 'effort' type of breathlessness.

Official TitleSpecificity of Dyspnoea Relief With Inhaled Furosemide
NCT02881866
Principal SponsorOxford Brookes University
Last updated: January 27, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

16 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Basic Science Study

Basic science studies help researchers understand how the body works or how a disease develops. They don't test treatments, but they build the foundation for future therapies.



Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

Over 18 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

DyspneaHypercapniaRespiration DisordersRespiratory Tract DiseasesSigns and SymptomsSigns and Symptoms, RespiratoryPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: \- Healthy individuals Exclusion Criteria: * On any medication, including herbal medication (other than mild analgesics, vitamins and mineral supplements or, for females, oral contraceptives), whether prescribed or over-the-counter, in the two weeks prior to test sessions involving administration of furosemide or saline. * Female participants who are pregnant, lactating or planning pregnancy over the course of trial * A medical history of heart, kidney or liver disease/electrolyte disturbances/ immunosuppression/frequent fainting episodes/COPD/nasal polyps/Addison's/acute porphyria/significant prostatic symptoms/acute gout attack/life expectancy \<6months or history of allergic reaction to furosemide and/or any of the other ingredients of furosemide or amiloride, sulfonamides or sulphonamide derivatives, such as sulfadiazine or co-trimoxazole * Any other significant disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the participants at risk because of participation in the trial, or may influence the result of the trial, or the participant's ability to participate in the trial. * Have participated in another research trial involving an investigational product in the past 4 weeks.

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

2 intervention groups are designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups

Group I

Active Comparator
Previous studies have shown that inhaled furosemide relieves 'air hunger'. Each volunteer has 3 mists per visit. The mists are either in the order of Furosemide-Saline-Furosemide or Saline-Furosemide-Saline. The furosemide mist is 40mg (10mg/ml) nebulised and the saline mist is 4ml nebulised. Induced air hunger (hypercapnia with constrained ventilation) is the active comparator and will be the type of breathlessness induced, before and after each mist inhalation on one day. .

Group II

Experimental
Induced sense of breathing effort (raised ventilation with external resistive load) is the 'experimental arm' and will be the type of breathlessness induced, before and after each mist inhalation on the other day. .

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Suspended

Oxford Brookes University

Oxford, United KingdomOpen Oxford Brookes University in Google Maps
CompletedOne Study Center