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Intensive Research Unit

Description

The Intensive Research Unit (IRU) was formerly known as the Adult General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). Located on the 4th and 5th floors of Barnard Hospital, the IRU operates as an in-patient and out-patient clinical research unit for studies that require more “intense” nursing services than the studies performed in the CTU or that require an inpatient stay. The IRU is structured to be able to provide services 24 hours/day, 7 days/week when needed.

Services Available to ICTS Members

Facilities, Equipment and Staffing

• Six-room, 12-bed semi-private extended visit area that is staffed 24-hours a day (as research necessitates)
• Outpatient area that includes two full beds, four chair beds, a waiting room, outpatient office as well as the dietary offices and kitchen. The outpatient office is staffed Monday-Friday from 7 am - 3 pm.
• Routine research nursing services and specialized protocol-required procedures, subject monitoring and phlebotomy
• Specimen processing and short-term storage area
• Bionutrician services and a full metabolic kitchen for meal preparation
• Body composition analysis by using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry

Procedures Performed:

A skilled research nursing staff experienced in implementing sophisticated clinical studies is available to assist in or perform the following services:

• IV Line insertion
• Transportation and monitoring
• Central-line blood draws
• Aerosolized treatments
• Routine phlebotomy
• Blood glucose monitoring
• Pharmacokinetics
• IVGTT
• Medication administration
• OGTT
• Biopsy: fat, muscle, liver
• CLAMP
• Resting Metabolic Rate
• Exercise Study
• Continuous Cardiac Monitoring
• Questionnaires
• ECG
• Other specimen collection
• Vital sign monitoring
• Spirometry
• Administer blood, blood products
• Bronchoscopy Pre-/ Post- care
• Pre- / Post-operative care
• Pain assessment
• Enteral tube placement
• Subject teaching
• Continuous/intermittent IV drug infusion
• Pulse oximetry monitoring
• Urinary catheterization
• Central line care
• Other services as necessary

Specimen Processing Services:

• +4°C Storage
• -20°C Storage
• -70°C Storage
• 1 Week Storage
• 1 Month Storage
• Specimen shipping

Bionutrition Services:

Protocols with significant nutritional components must be discussed with a bionutritionist. The Metabolic Kitchen operates 7 days/week, 365 days/year, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (extended hours by arrangement) and provides the following services:

• Consultation services for protocol development, grant and manuscript preparation
• Metabolic kitchen services customized per protocol: including development of special diets, weighted nutrient metabolic balance, and strict feeding schedule
• Anthropometric and dietary assessments, nutrition counseling
• Customized nutrition analysis services, duplicate diets for chemical analysis
• Access to nutrition references and National Nutrition Survey data

Body Composition Services:

Measurement of body composition and bone density by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) are available through the CARS IRU. Assessment of body composition in adolescents can also be performed in the IRU.

Core Laboratory:

The CARS Core Laboratory is located in suite 5514 of the Wohl Hospital and offers the following tests and procedures: .

• Radioimmunoassays: Insulin, free Insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide, growth hormone, IGF-1, cortisol, leptin, estradiol.
• Spectrophotometric Assays: Non-esterified fatty acids, glucose, lactate and beta hydroxybutyrate
• Chemiluminescence: Insulin, c-peptide, cortisol, IGF-1, and growth hormone
• Enzyme Immunoassays: As required per approved protocol