Clinical Research Directory

Innate Immune Response Monitoring Via Monocyte HLA-DR in Severe Intra-abdominal Infections at Risk of Fungal Infection

Intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC) is a frequent and severe fungal infection in critically ill patients, often diagnosed late. Its pathophysiology remains unclear, particularly regarding why some patients develop invasive infection while others only show benign colonization. A potential explanation lies in the state of innate immunity. Monocyte HLA-DR expression, a recognized marker of immune suppression in critical care, may be transiently but profoundly reduced in non-immunocompromised patients who go on to develop IAC. This observational study aims to evaluate whether patients with IAC have greater innate immune dysfunction-assessed by HLA-DR expression-compared to those with severe bacterial intra-abdominal infections. The goal is to better understand the immune mechanisms involved and improve early risk stratification for IAC.

The PASTDUe Nutrition Ecosystem Project (PASTDUe)

This is a research study to determine if a particular method of providing nutrition improves the clinical outcomes of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who have undergone abdominal surgery and would require nutrition delivered via the bloodstream (called total parenteral nutrition or TPN). The nutrition method we are testing is a structured nutrition delivery plan that involves tube feeding, oral nutrition supplements, and the use of a device (called an indirect calorimeter or IC) to measure calorie needs. This study will also use two devices to measure fat and muscle mass to examine changes during hospitalization. Subjects will be followed throughout hospitalization where nutrition status and fat and muscle mass will be closely monitored. Study activities will begin within 72 hours of a patient's abdominal surgery. TPN (total parenteral nutrition, a method of feeding that bypasses the usual process of eating and digestion) will be started, a non-invasive method of assessing calorie needs (indirect calorimetry (IC)) will be started, a urine sample will be collected to help assist in protein needs, and fat/muscle mass will be measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and an ultrasound. This is a minimal risk study and all products/devices used are non-invasive and FDA-approved. Indirect calorimetry and urine sample collection will be conducted every 3 days during the stay in the Intensive Care Unit - ICU, then every 5 days until hospital discharge. BIA and muscle ultrasound will be conducted every 7 days during ICU stay, then every 14 days until hospital discharge.

The Effect of Continuous Intravenous Infusion of Lidocaine on PPCs and Prognosis in Emergency Surgical Patients With IAI

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of continuous 24-hour intravenous infusion of lidocaine on the incidence of PPCs in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy for intra-abdominal infection (IAI).The secondary objectives of this study are to assess the impact of continuous 24-hour intravenous lidocaine infusion on the proportion of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, protection of important organ function during the perioperative period, length of hospital stay, and outcomes within 30 days postoperatively.