South London consultant praises NIHR’s invaluable role in supporting research

A dedicated consultant has praised the NIHR’s role in helping to deliver vital critical care research across south London.

Dr Sam Hutchings OBE, Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthetics at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, was recently awarded a grant of €20,000 by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) for his research project: ‘Assessment of the clinical utility of point of care ultrasound in assessing venous congestion in critically ill patients’.

The project will involve using ultrasound equipment to work out the optimum amount of intravenous fluid required for kidney patients receiving dialysis treatment. Participants' fluid levels will be monitored before, during and after each dialysis session.

Dr Hutchings, who is also a Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Inflammation Biology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences at King’s College London, believes the results of the project could help to save people’s lives. He said:

“The careful management and removal of intravenous fluids is one of the many things we can do to improve outcomes for our patients. There is considerable evidence that shows that giving too much intravenous fluid to people who are critically ill can cause them a lot of harm. Ultimately, all research is about trying to make things better for people.

“Our aim is to set up a randomised trial where patients receive either standard care or a very defined intervention where we can remove some of the intravenous fluid and see how the person responds. I was quite pleasantly surprised to receive the funding as the award is open to people from across Europe. There is quite rightly a lot of competition for this funding and to have received two grants in three years from the ESICM is a fantastic achievement. I’d like to thank the committee for awarding me the money.

“We couldn’t deliver any of our studies in critical care without the support of the NIHR. The NIHR provides invaluable support to investigators, and it is a great organisation to be a part of at both a local and national level.”

The ESICM Established Investigator Award supports the research activities of a senior physician or scientist active in clinical or basic research. It is granted to a research project conducted in Europe. The specific intent is to provide support to investigators who have already established their independent research programme, and who can demonstrate a commitment to facilitate training of younger colleagues.

The NIHR is the largest funder of health and care research in England.

Nhlanhla Mguni, who is a Research Delivery Manager for the NIHR CRN South London, an organisation which helps to increase the opportunities for people to take part in health and care research, said:

“I’d like to congratulate Dr Hutchings on his ESICM funding award. This Network will always stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners and the wider scientific community in delivering high-quality health and care research, including drug trials that people can access in south London.”

You can find out more on the ESICM website.