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Chest Pain Perception and Capsaicin Sensitivity in Patients With Acute Cardiac Ischemia

Chest Pain Perception and Capsaicin Sensitivity in Patients With Acute Cardiac Ischemia

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02346916
Enrollment
22
Registered
2015-01-27
Start date
2013-10-31
Completion date
2015-08-31
Last updated
2021-03-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Chest Pain

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a positive correlation between the ability to sense chest pain in the context of myocardial ischemia and the ability to sense discomfort associated with the topical application of the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin (the active ingredient on hot chili peppers).

Detailed description

Chest discomfort is considered the hallmark of myocardial ischemia and as such is an important clinical warning sign of myocardial infarction (MI). The ability to sense ischemic chest discomfort appears to be impaired in a substantial minority of the population and such individuals are presumably at increased risk for unrecognized MI. While the mechanism(s) responsible for the perception of chest pain associated with myocardial ischemia are still not fully understood, studies suggest that the transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) plays a key role in this process. This nociceptor, which is known to mediate pain sensation in the skin and elsewhere in the peripheral nervous system, has also been found on the outer surface of the heart and has been shown to respond to ischemic stress in this organ. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a positive correlation between the ability to sense chest pain in the context of myocardial ischemia and the ability to sense discomfort associated with the topical application of the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin (the active ingredient on hot chili peppers). Patients undergoing urgent or emergent balloon angioplasty of an acute coronary stenosis will be asked to quantify the subjective intensity of any chest pain they feel during a standardized episode of myocardial ischemia produced by a one-minute coronary balloon occlusion, using a previously-validated numeric rating scale. The same patients will subsequently be asked to grade the subjective intensity of cutaneous discomfort resulting from application of a capsaicin-containing patch (Capzasin-HP Cream, an over-the-counter product approved for topical application to treat muscle and joint aches) to the forearm. The goal will be to determine whether an association can be demonstrated between the subjective perception of ischemic chest pain during coronary balloon occlusion and cutaneous capsaicin sensitivity. Such an association could have considerable clinical value, as it might allow physicians to prospectively assess an individual's ability to perceive myocardial ischemia/infarction by assessing his/her subjective response to the topical application of capsaicin. This study is designed to be a companion project to Project 1029 Chest Pain Perception and Capsaicin Sensitivity, which is collecting the same data from clinically stable patients undergoing elective cardiac catheterization.

Interventions

DRUGCapsaicin

1 inch ribbon of Capzasin-HP 0.1% will be applied to the forearm for 30 minutes

Sponsors

Bassett Healthcare
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Subjects will consist of patients who have undergone clinically-indicated PCI for the treatment of coronary artery disease. This study will include clinically unstable patients, such as those undergoing emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction, etc.

Exclusion criteria

Patients with documented hypersensitivity to capsaicin will be excluded and patients who have used a capsaicin-based product within the last 3 months will be excluded

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Capsaicin Sensitivity30 minutesEach patient will be asked to rate their discomfort at the application site based on a 10 point numerical rating scale for cutaneous discomfort, ranging from 0 (no discomfort) to 10 (the worst discomfort imaginable)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Chest Pain2 hoursPatients are asked to rate their chest pain on a scale of 0 No pain to 10 Worst pain imaginable during balloon inflation during PCI.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Cardiac Catheterization Patients
Subjects will undergo the cutaneous capsaicin test at the time of the study visit. A one inch ribbon of Capzasin-HP Cream (0.1%) will be applied to the skin on the forearm of the non-dominant arm. Subjects will be asked to assign a numerical score to the maximum intensity of any cutaneous discomfort experienced during the subsequent 30 minutes, from 0 (no discomfort) to 10 (the worst discomfort imaginable). The cream will then be removed by washing the affected arm with cold water. Efforts will then be made to examine the association between the pain score documented in response to the cutaneous capsaicin test with the pain score obtained during coronary balloon occlusion. This method should allow an individual's subjective sensitivity to the TRPV1-mediated noxious stimulus of myocardial ischemia to be compared with his/her sensitivity to the TRPV1-mediated noxious stimulus of cutaneous capsaicin in extra-cardiac tissues. Capsaicin: 1 inch ribbon of Capzasin-HP 0.1% will be a
20
Total20

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicCardiac Catheterization Patients
Age, Continuous58.70 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.97
Region of Enrollment
United States
20 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
8 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
12 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 20
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 20
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 20

Outcome results

Primary

Capsaicin Sensitivity

Each patient will be asked to rate their discomfort at the application site based on a 10 point numerical rating scale for cutaneous discomfort, ranging from 0 (no discomfort) to 10 (the worst discomfort imaginable)

Time frame: 30 minutes

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Cardiac Catheterization PatientsCapsaicin Sensitivity2.05 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.9
Secondary

Chest Pain

Patients are asked to rate their chest pain on a scale of 0 No pain to 10 Worst pain imaginable during balloon inflation during PCI.

Time frame: 2 hours

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Cardiac Catheterization PatientsChest Pain2.50 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.72

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026