Clinical Research Directory

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients (≥ 18 years old) with acute respiratory failure receiving invasive mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube or tracheostomy * Patients who meet readiness-to-wean criteria (triggering the ventilator; FiO2 ≤ 50%; PEEP ≤ 8 cm H20; hemodynamic stability) Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication to phrenic nerve stimulation (chest tube; cardiac pacemaker or implanted defibrillator; cervical implants; use of neuromuscular blocking agents within the 24 hours preceding the first diaphragm assessment (with the exception of succinylcholine used during rapid-sequence induction of anaesthesia for intubation); cervical spine injury; known pregnancy) * Patients experiencing an acute exacerbation of an obstructive lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiectasis)