Visit and assessment schedule in the DETECT study
| Cross-sectional stage | Longitudinal change | ||||
| Screening | Baseline | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 or earlier# | |
| Informed consent¶ | Yes | ||||
| Check of eligibility criteria | Yes | ||||
| Demographics | Yes | ||||
| Medical history | Yes | ||||
| Pulmonary function tests+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Concomitant medication | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SSc characteristics | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Serum analysis by central lab | Yes | Yes | |||
| Serum storage by central lab | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Physical examination | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Echocardiography | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| ECG | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| RHC§ | Yes | Yes | |||
| 6MWT, Borg dyspnoea index | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| NYHA functional classƒ | Yes | Yes |
SSc: systemic sclerosis; RHC: right heart catheterisation; 6MWT: 6-min walk test; NYHA: New York Heart Association. #: earlier in case of suspected pulmonary hypertension before year 3 requiring RHC, or for patients predictably unable to stay in the study; ¶: obtained before any invasive procedure; +: diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide/alveolar volume, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, total lung capacity and residual volume; §: RHC performed as last test in order to exclude bias regarding any other test but not later than 2 months after the other tests; pregnancy is contraindicated; ƒ: for patients diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension or pulmonary hypertension.