Samples From Human Subjects to Facilitate Basic, Translational and Clinical Research

Our department is evaluating various aspects of the cardiovascular system and/or endothelial dysfunction and/or inflammation in disease states, such as, but not limited to, pulmonary hypertension (PH) and other pulmonary vascular diseases, arteriosclerosis, transplantation, inflammatory processes and sepsis. The collection of human blood and urine from both research subjects and healthy volunteers is necessary for the development of relevant laboratory assays and protocols, and to further research studies requiring such evaluations. In research subjects undergoing renal replacement therapy who produce limited urine we may also sample ultrafiltrate as a surrogate for urine. This protocol defines in general terms the purposes for which blood, urine and ultrafiltrate will be collected by members of the NIH s Clinical Center (CC), Critical Care Medicine Department (CCMD) and collaborating institutions and establishes general conditions under which sampling will be performed.

• INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR RESEARCH SUBJECTS WITH DISEASES RELATED TO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM AND/OR INFLAMMATION AND/OR ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION SUCH AS BUT NOT LIMITED TO ARTERIOSCLEROSIS, TRANSPLANTATION, PULMONARY HYPERTENSION, OTHER ADVANCED LUNG OR HEART DISEASE

• Males or females of age greater than or equal to 18 years old.
• Subjects unable to provide informed consent must have a surrogate decision maker or another legally authorized representative (such as a legal guardian or holder of the DPA)

Exclusion criteria

FOR RESEARCH SUBJECTS WITH DISEASES RELATED TO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM AND/OR INFLAMMATION AND/OR ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION SUCH AS BUT NOT LIMITED TO ARTERIOSCLEROSIS, TRANSPLANTATION, PULMONARY HYPERTENSION, OTHER ADVANCED LUNG OR HEART DISEASE

• Hemoglobin <7.0 g/dL
• Currently receiving infusion of epinephrine; or dopamine at an infusion rate of >2.5 microgram/kg/min, norepinephrine of > 20mcg/min, or vasopressin > 0.04 units/min*
• In the presence of known coronary artery disease (CAD) a systolic blood pressure (SBP) <90 mmHg. In the absence of known CAD a SBP <80 mmHg or mean arterial pressure (MAP) <60 mmHg with or without vasopressors*.

• For critically ill patients with shock (on vasopressors), no more than 20mL of blood may be obtained within a 24 hour period. (No more than 200ml over eight weeks.)

Research subjects may be excluded if in the opinion of the study investigators they have a condition that may adversely affect the outcome of the study or the safety of the volunteer.

Inclusion criteria

FOR SUBJECTS WHO ARE TO RECEIVE CRRT (IRRESPECTIVE OF DIAGNOSIS) IN WHOM THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF PROTOCOL RELATED BLOOD WILL NOT EXCEED 8 ML.

• Males or females of age greater than or equal to 18 years old.
• Subjects unable to provide informed consent must have a surrogate decision maker or another legally authorized representative (such as a legal guardian or holder of the DPA)

Exclusion criteria

FOR SUBJECTS WHO ARE TO RECEIVE CRRT (IRRESPECTIVE OF DIAGNOSIS) IN WHOM THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF PROTOCOL RELATED BLOOD WILL NOT EXCEED 8 ML)

• Hemoglobin <7.0 g/dL
• In the presence of known coronary artery disease (CAD) a systolic blood pressure (SBP) <90 mmHg. In the absence of known CAD a SBP <80 mmHg or mean arterial pressure (MAP) <60 mmHg.

Inclusion criteria

FOR HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS:

• Males or females of age greater than or equal to 18 years old
• Ability of subjects to understand and the willingness to sign an informed consent document.

Exclusion criteria

FOR HEATLHY VOLUNTEERS:

• Blood or platelet donation within the last 6 weeks.
• Hemoglobin below normal (e.g. below 11.2 g/dl for females and below 13.7 mg/dl for males at the NIH CC); subjects may return for evaluation at a later date. (After initial enrollment, hematocrit does not need to be done prior to subsequent blood draws unless there is interval development of symptomatic anemia)
• History of recreational drug use with the exception of marijuana (as long as marijuana use was >3 months from the time of study screening).
• Active acute illness (i.e viral syndrome). Subjects may return for evaluation at a later date once the acute illness resolves.
• Volunteers may be excluded if in the opinion of the study investigators they have a condition that may adversely affect the outcome of the study or the safety of the volunteer, such as, active tobacco use (> 6 months) in the past ten years, any tobacco use within 3 months prior to the screening evaluation, a history of clinically relevant and active cardiopulmonary disease (e.g. Including but not limited to any cardiopulmonary diseases not well controlled by medications, EKG with evidence of clinically relevant heart disease, COPD with hypoxemia and forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) > 2 standard deviations from normal, etc.).