Endorphins are naturally occurring narcotic substances that are released when individuals perform exercise. The hypothesis of the study is that endorphins reduce the severity of breathlessness during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The initial five visits include familiarization and validation of a computerized system for patients to report dyspnea and leg discomfort continuously during exercise testing. At Visits 6 and 7 blood is drawn to measure serum endorphin levels pre-exercise, end exercise, and 30 minutes after exercise. Normal saline or naloxone is given intravenously 5 minutes prior to exercise in a double-blinded design. The primary outcome is the slope of oxygen consumption - dyspnea.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
17
10 mg of naloxone administered IV or normal saline administered IV in randomized order at different visits
Arm A: 10 mg of naloxone given IV in 25 ml of normal saline Arm B: 25 ml of normal saline
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States
Slope of oxygen consumption - dyspnea during treadmill exercise.
Time frame: throughout exercise
Exercise duration
Time frame: 10-14 minutes
Peak ratings of breathlessness
Time frame: at end of exercsie - 10-15 minutes
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