Immune Status After Being on Call for 24 Hrs

Impact of a 24-hour Shift Call on the Immune Status of Surgery Residents

Sleep deprivation is a prevalent problem in modern societies. Sleep deprivation can cause hormonal changes, such as an increase in cortisol, as well as inflammation. Animal studies have shown an increase in inflammatory cytokine production following sleep deprivation. Additionally, humans experiencing sleep deprivation may experience a decrease in natural killer cells and lymphocytes.

Physicians, particularly those in surgical specialties, are often subjected to sleep deprivation as part of their medical residency training. This study hypothesizes that after 24-hour shifts, there is an increase in inflammatory response and impairment of the immune response against unspecific activation. This proposal aims to provide insight into the impact of sleep deprivation on the immune system of surgery residents by characterizing the phenotype and function of immune cells, as well as their correlation with biometric data.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Sleep Deprivation
• Intervention / Treatment: Diagnostic test: Blood Sample Collection; Device: Actigraph (GT9X-BT) Monitor

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Angelica Perez-Gutierrez, MD; Phone Number: 773-834-5087; Email: rperezgutierrez@bsd.uchicago.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Leila Yazdanbakhsh; Email: leila.yazdanbakhsh@bsd.uchicago.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
      • Recruiting
      • The University of Chicago
      • Contact: Leila Yazdanbakhsh; Phone Number: 773-834-5087; Email: leila.yazdanbakhsh@bsd.uchicago.edu
      • Contact: Shalitha Johnson; Phone Number: 773-834-8758; Email: sjohnson28@bsd.uchicago.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Angelica Perez-Gutierrez, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

General Surgery residents, on during 24-hour shifts

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy subjects
• Surgery residents in a 24-hour shift rotation
• Gender of subjects: Males and females
• Age of subjects: 18 years old and older
• Racial and Ethnic Origin: Any race or ethnicity

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unwilling/unable to sign informed consent
• Vulnerable Subjects/Subject Capacity to provide consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

General Surgery Residents; General Surgery residents on during 24-hour rotation shifts

Diagnostic test: Blood Sample Collection; To characterize the phenotype and function of immune cells in surgery residents before and after a 24-hour shift, and before and after a month of being "on call". Along with to investigate the relationship between sleep deprivation, physical activity, and different immune responses.; Device: Actigraph (GT9X-BT) Monitor; Participants will be asked to wear their monitor every day for a week. The monitor will collect their step count, sleep and heart rate automatically. Participants will return their monitor at visit 5 (day 30) of the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Characterization of the phenotype and function of immune cells using flow cytometry	Specifically, T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells will be identified and analyzed. Memory cells, co-inhibitor markers, and regulatory markers will also be evaluated. The function will be analyzed based on the intracellular expression of effector molecules and cytokines after unspecific activation with CD3-CD28 beads.	24 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Analyze the biometric data and correlate it with changes in sleep deprivation	To examine the associations, participants will be using an activity and sleep monitor.	One week before rotation and the last week of rotation
Analyze the biometric data and correlate it with changes in the immune response	To examine the associations, participants will be using an activity and sleep monitor.	One week before rotation and the last week of rotation
Analyze the biometric data and correlate it with changes in physical activity	To examine the associations, participants will be using an activity and sleep monitor.	One week before rotation and the last week of rotation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Chicago
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Angelica Perez-Gutierrez, MD, University of Chicago

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 17, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 27, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 9, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): October 10, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 9, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Sleep Wake Disorders; Dyssomnias; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Sleep Deprivation; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Monitoring, Physiologic
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB24-1426

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes