Clinical Research Directory

CPAP in Patients With Severe Obesity After Anesthesia

The goal of this study is to compare two continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) settings on heart and lung function in patients with severe obesity after anesthesia. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does a recruitment maneuver and CPAP set to intrathoracic pressure (ITP) improve cardiopulmonary function compared to standard CPAP settings in patients with severe obesity after anesthesia? 2. Does the location of adipose tissue influence the response to CPAP settings in patients with severe obesity after anesthesia? Participants will undergo monitoring of their intrathoracic pressure using an esophageal catheter. In the recovery area after anesthesia, participants will receive two CPAP settings, each for 20 minutes. * Intervention 1: Recruitment maneuver and CPAP will set to the level of intrathoracic pressure * Intervention 2: CPAP set to home settings (if OSA is present) or between 8-10 cmH20 (if OSA is not present).

Weaning From Mechanical Ventilation in Patients With Acute Brain Injury

Acute brain injury (ABI) patients frequently necessate intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). While some ABI patients are capable of breathing spontaneously, which is one of the main criteria of extubation and weaning. However, the rate of extubation failure was significantly higher in ABI patients compared with non-neurological critical care patients. In patients who have failed one or several trials of extubation, tracheostomy is recommend according to the latest ESICM consensus. Tracheostomy can enhance comfort, improve pulmonary hygiene and decrease sedation requirement, which could facilitate the liberation from ventilator. Numerous studies have explored the causes of weaning failure and provide various predictive models in guiding extubation and tracheostomy. Yet, due to limitations of such as small sample size or a lack of external validation, there is paucity of practical weaning algorithm tailored for ABI patients. The liberation from IMV in ABI patients still remains challenging with poor level of evidence in current guidelines or expert consensus. We aim to describe the weaning outcomes in ABI patients, and further investigate the potential predictors of weaning success in ABI patients.

Driving Pressure-guided Lung Protective Ventilation

The study, named as "The Efficacy of Driving Pressure-guided Lung Protective Ventilation in Surgical Repair of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: an open-label, randomized control clinical trial", aims to investigate whether driving pressure-guided lung protective ventilation can reduce postoperative oxygenation function in patients who have undergone surgical repair of acute type A aortic dissection. The primary outcomes is the incidence of postoperative hypoxemia (a partial pressure of arterial oxygen to inspiratory oxygen fraction ratio less than 300 mm Hg or a peripheral blood oxygen saturation less than 93% at any concentration of inspiratory oxygen) within 7 days after the surgery.

Mechanical Ventilation in Surgical Patients

This is an investigator-initiated, international, multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional study that aims to 1) describe the incidence and types of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), 2) describe patient demographics, baseline characteristics, and intraoperative ventilation management, 3) describe the occurrence of intraoperative adverse events (IAEs), and 4) their associations with PPCs, 5) assess the practice of intraoperative mechanical ventilation. Patients will be eligible for participation if: 1) adult and 2) receiving intraoperative ventilation during general anesthesia for surgery. Patients receiving ventilation outside of an operating room as well as patients receiving intraoperative ventilation during extracorporeal life support will be excluded

Integrated Echocardiography and Chest Ultrasound Assessment of Lung Recruitment in Preterm Infants

The primary aim of this work is to evaluate the role of high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) in recruitment of lung in preterm newborns 32 to 37 weeks gestational age with moderate to severe respiratory distress. The secondary aim is to evaluate the role of chest ultrasound in monitoring of lung recruitment in comparison to routine chest x ray in those babies. Also cardiac hemodynamics will be assesed using functional echocardiography.

Phrenic Identification in the ICU

This will be a prospective observational study where the investigator will scan patients' necks with an ultrasound and look for anatomical landmarks that may help identify the phrenic nerve.

Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) vs Pressure Support Ventilation After Cardiac Surgery

The study compares two different ventilation modes, Pressure support ventilation vs. Neuronally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist, in postcardiac surgery patients. Of special interest is shunt and alveolar deadspace and ventral vs. dorsal ventilation.

"Lung Barometric Measurements in Normal And in Respiratory Distressed Lungs"

Little is known about how lung mechanics are affected during the very early phase after starting mechanical ventilation. Since the conventional method of measuring esophageal pressure is complicated, hard to interpret and expensive, there are no studies on lung mechanics on intensive care patients directly after intubation, during the first hours of ventilator treatment and forward until the ventilator treatment is withdrawn. Published studies have collected data using the standard methods from day 1 to 3 of ventilator treatment for respiratory system mechanics, i.e. the combined mechanics of lung and chest wall. Consequently, information on lung mechanical properties during the first critical hours of ventilator treatment is missing and individualization of ventilator care done on the basis of respiratory system mechanics, which are not representative of lung mechanics on an individual patient basis. We have developed a PEEP-step method based on a change of PEEP up and down in one or two steps, where the change in end-expiratory lung volume ΔEELV) is determined and lung compliance calculated as ΔEELV divided by ΔPEEP (CL = ΔEELV/ΔPEEP). This simple non-invasive method for separating lung and chest wall mechanics provides an opportunity to enhance the knowledge of lung compliance and the transpulmonary pressure. After the two-PEEP-step procedure, the PEEP level where transpulmonary driving pressure is lowest can be calculated for any chosen tidal volume. The aim of the present study in the ICU is to survey lung mechanics from start of mechanical ventilation until extubation and to determine PEEP level with lowest (least injurious) transpulmonary driving pressure during ventilator treatment. The aim of the study during anesthesia in the OR, is to survey lung mechanics in lung healthy and identify patients with lung conditions before anesthesia, which may have an increased risk of postoperative complications.

A Pilot Trial of Pressure Muscle Index-Targeted PSV Trial

Pressure support ventilation (PSV) is one of the most frequently used ventilator modes in the intensive care unit (ICU). The successful implementation of PSV depends on matching the patient's inspiratory effort with the ventilator support. In clinical practice, the pressure support level is usually set and adjusted according to tidal volume (VT) and respiratory rate (RR). However, these parameters may not fully represent the patient's effort. Previous studies have shown that pressure muscle index (PMI), which is measured as the difference between the peak and plateau airway pressure during an end-inspiratory airway occlusion, could reliably determine the low and high inspiratory effort during PSV. However, the comparative effectiveness of these two pressure support level setting strategies remains uncertain. Our aim is to explore clinical and implementation factors relevant to a future definitive randomized controlled trial to evaluate PMI - and VT/RR - pressure support level setting strategies. The Inspiratory effort-targeted pressure support ventilation pragmatic pilot trial will test clinician adherence and to explore clinical outcomes. Two centers are included in a pragmatic sequential cluster crossover pilot trial. We enrolled all eligible adults with acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation admitted to ICU. The pressure support level setting strategy was assigned according to the epoch. The first trial epoch will be assigned to VTRR - pressure support level setting strategy for 4 weeks. The washout week between the two epochs will be 4 weeks. Then sequentially, it will be crossed over to PMI - pressure support level setting strategy for 4 weeks. * In the VT/RR-targeted group, the pressure support is adjusted to obtain a VT between 6 and 8 ml/kg PBW and RR between 20 and 35 breaths/min until day 28 or death or performance of spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). * In the PMI-targeted group, the pressure support is adjusted according to PMI between 0 and 2 cmH2O until day 28 or death or performance of SBT. We will also survey clinicians to understand potential facilitators and barriers to conducting a definitive randomized trial.

I-ASV in Cardiac Surgery

'POStoperative INTELLiVENT-adaptive support VEntilation in cardiac surgery patients II (POSITiVE II) is an investigator-initiated, international, multicenter, parallel, randomized clinical trial in patients after cardiac surgery.

Respiratory Mechanics Measurement of Ventilated Patients Through Low-frequency Oscillometry Technique

Respiratory failure has historically been one of the most important causes for admittance of patients to the critical care unit. This problem was the most important reason during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the evolution of the physiology of the lung has therefore been the number one concern during these challenging times in the intensive care unit (ICU). Respiratory oscillometry (RO) identifies the lung impedance by applying small pressure oscillations onto the breathing or ventilation. Information about the respiratory mechanics can be extracted out of this impedance, including the resistance (R) and compliance (C) of the lung. The VUB developed a robust, patient safe RO measurement protocol that delivers high quality measurements with the least possible interference with the patient's breathing/ventilation. The technique challenges current state-of-the-art techniques also aiming at identifying R and C of the respiratory system (not exclusively RO). The RO measurement protocol is in line with the technical standards of the ERS (European Respiratory Society) and has been successfully and safely tested on emulators and some parts on test subjects. The clinical investigation aims at a powered equivalence investigation between the RO measurement protocol and a standard of care dynamic compliance estimate on invasive ventilated patients. As secondary objectives, the feasibility of the RO techniques will be investigated during pressure support ventilation and the RO estimates will also be compared with other accepted respiratory mechanics estimation tools. To enable the investigation, a RO algorithm is developed, and a RO measurement extension is implemented in the DemcAir® ventilation system of Demcon. This was a fully tested ventilator that received a CE mark under the previous MDD regulation. However, Demcon, which produces ventilator parts for other commercial partners, removed the label to avoid competition with their partners. The ventilator will only execute the protocol on demand and save the data on an USB stick available in the ventilator. At any time, the RO measurement procedure can be stopped, and the ventilator will return to its initial ventilation. The USB stick is used to transport the data to a separate (VUB) laptop where the data processing is done.

Monitoring of Lung Ventilation Through Electrical Impedance Tomography During Pediatric Surgery

Given the scarcity of studies aimed at assessing the effect of anesthesia and m ventilation on the distribution of lung ventilation in pediatric patients undergoing surgery, with the exclusion of thoracic surgery, the present prospective observational study would shed the light on ventilation practice in pediatric anesthesia for surgery. This study wold fill the actual gap allowing the evaluation, through electrical impedance tomography (EIT) of the distribution of lung ventilation across the different phases of anesthesia for pediatric surgery. These insights could contribute to improve clinical practice and research in the management of ventilation in pediatric patients undergoing anesthesia for surgery.

FCV vs PCV in Moderate to Severe ARDS

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare flow-controlled ventilation (FCV) and pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) in patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome on the intensive care unit. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the mechanical power during flow-controlled ventilation lower than during pressure-controlled ventilation * To gain more understanding about other physiological effects and potential benefits of flow-controlled ventilation in comparison to pressure-controlled ventilation (o.a. the end-expiratory lung volume and homogeneity of ventilation). Participants will be randomized between two ventilation mode sequences, being 90 minutes of FCV followed by 90 minutes of PCV or vice versa.

SGLT2 Inhibitors in Patients With ADHF During Ventilator Weaning

This study will explore the potential benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in preventing cardiac ischemia and cardiopulmonary edema in patients with acute decompensated heart failure during weaning from ventilators.

Assessment of Process and Outcome of Protocol-based Weaning From Mechanical Ventilation in the Medical Patients

This is a prospective, single-center, observational study to describe characteristics of weaning process and factors associated with duration of weaning and its outcomes in all consecutive adult (aged 19 years and older) patients receiving mechanical ventilation for at least two calendar days in medical intensive care units since November 2017. Details of the patients' weaning process and spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) in addition to clinical, laboratory, and outcome data will be collected in a specified format on the day of the assessment by respiratory care practitioners.