Active clinical trials for "Critical Illness"

A prospective, international and multicenter, non interventional single-cohort study, which will enroll consecutive adult patients who have received mechanical ventilation (invasive and noninvasive ventilation) for at least 12 hours during a 1-month period, and will follow each patient for the duration of mechanical ventilation, up to 28 days. The main objectives will be to analyze the mortality and clinical outcomes in ventilated patients and secondly, to evaluate the practices of liberation from mechanical ventilation, the failure of non invasive ventilation in the ICU, and to analyze the clinical outcomes in specific populations of critically ill patients with the need of mechanical ventilation.

Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic that is the first line antibiotics for the treatment of serious gram-positive infections involving methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Its therapeutic window is narrow, so there is a need to monitor serum vancomycin concentration in clinical practice, especially in the critically ill patients. So far, few studies have investigated the clinical outcomes of the dosage strategy that vancomycin dosage is administered and adjusted individually using PPK and Bayesian methods based on observed concentrations. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness, safety and economics of the vancomycin individualized dosing service provided by pharmacists.

The purpose of this prospective, non-interventional clinical study is to assess the clinical validity of a number of markers (including Heparin Binding Protein (HBP), Procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), White cell count (WCC) and lactate) for indicating the presence of organ dysfunction, or outcome, of patients with organ dysfunctions following emergency department admission or hospitalization. Secondary objectives are to identify novel putative biomarkers and to identify risk factors for negative long-term effects of acute critical illness The HBP assay is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitative determination of Heparin Binding Protein in human plasma.

This is a feasibility study of the use of a novel technique called 'Inspiwave' to measure heart and lung function in adult patients in critical care. The preliminary work has already been undertaken in animal models and in healthy volunteers. The ultimate aim of this study is to develop a clinical tool for measuring (and therefore being able to make treatment changes based on) indices of heart and lung function in critical care patients. This study is the first assessment of the technique in this population, and whilst we know it works in patients undergoing general anaesthesia, we now need to assess whether Inspiwave can be used at all in critical care patients who may have much more physiological derangement. The purpose of this phase of the research is to determine whether it is feasible to use Inspiwave in critical care. Inspiwave generates a sinusoidally modulated tracer gas signal in the inspired air. It also measures the resulting signal in the expired air. The unique handling of this signal by the patient can used be to derive key variables related to cardiopulmonary function such as lung volume, pulmonary blood flow, the deadspace (wasted ventilation) and the degree to which ventilation and blood flow are non-uniform. These are 'vital signs' in sick patients, yet are currently technically difficult to measure, particularly non-invasively.

To assess the acceptability and feasibility of a study design aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a newly developed intervention for children and their caregivers following discharge from PICU To assess the acceptability of the newly developed 'storybook intervention'

Approximately 25-35% of all children admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) will develop Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) during the first seven days after admission. AKI is associated with a worse outcome, including an increased risk of mortality compared to patients without AKI. However, this AKI prevalence estimation is based on serum creatinine based glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which is known to be inaccurate. The investigators postulate that measured GFR (mGFR) based on iohexol clearance in critically ill children will detect a higher prevalence of children with AKI than currently used methods based on endogenous markers. This study will additionally provide mechanistic knowledge on the relative contribution of GFR and renal transport to renal function in critically ill children.

In the UK, critical illness or injury affects about 19,000 Children and Young Persons (CYP) every year who are admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to receive life-sustaining treatments. Although survival rates from PICU are at an all-time high (>96%), low levels of mortality have been offset by an increase in morbidity. The impact of being critically ill and exposed to the PICU is multiple. Weakness, cognitive impairment, organ dysfunction, and psychological problems have been reported to emanate from deconditioning. Subsequently, post-PICU many CYP experience significant and residual physical, cognitive, and psychosocial morbidities that impact on their quality of life. The contemporary focus has turned to the development, testing, and implementation of interventions to minimize the harmful effects of critical care and maximize patient outcomes. Early rehabilitation and/or mobilisation (ERM) encompasses patient-tailored interventions, delivered individually or in a bundled package, provided by health professionals from multiple disciplines and care-givers within intensive care settings to promote recovery, both physical (e.g. movement, functional activities, ambulation) and non-physical (e.g. speech, play, psychological, cognitive). Rehabilitation has been shown to improve quality of life and patient outcomes; reduce health inequalities, and make significant savings to the health care system. Benefits have been demonstrated in the use of ERM in adult ICU populations in relation to patient outcomes as well as healthcare utilization. Studies also indicate that the intervention is safe and feasible, reduces delirium and increases ventilator-free days, improves day-to-day functioning and reduces hospital readmissions. However, in the United Kingdom (UK), the understanding of current ERM practices (including content, barriers, facilitators, feasibility, and safety) and their impact on the outcomes of pediatric ICU patients is limited. This has stifled an evidence-based approach to ERM which has resulted in disparity in the adoption and utilization of ERM interventions in PICUs across the UK. To address this critical gap, the first phase of a four-phase program of the PERMIT study will generate evidence of current PICU ERM practices by conducting a survey and an observational study. The second phase of the study will involve conducting qualitative workshops to develop a prototype ERM program. Qualitative workshops will also be conducted among key stakeholders (clinicians, parents, CYP) to inform the design of an ERM intervention. The third phase will investigate this ERM program in a pilot study in UK PICUs and finally, the efficacy of the intervention will be tested using a large scale, definitive randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Patients are part of a family network. When any person in a family becomes critically unwell and requires the assistance of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), this has an impact on all members of that family. COVID-19 changed visiting for all patients in hospitals across Scotland. It is not known what effect these restrictions will have on patients' recovery, nor do we understand the impact it may have on their relatives or staff caring for them. This study will look at the implications of the visiting restrictions as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic upon patients without COVID-19 who are in the cardiothoracic ICU. It will also explore the impact of these restrictions on them, their relatives and staff. This study will be carried out within a single specialised intensive care unit in Scotland using mixed methods. The first arm of this study will use retrospective data that is routinely collected in normal clinical practice. The investigators will compare patient outcomes prior to COVID-19 with outcomes following the implementation of COVID-19 visiting restrictions. The aim is to establish if the restrictions on visiting has an impact on the duration of delirium. Delirium is an acute mental confusion and is associated with longer hospital stays and worse outcomes in this patient group. The second arm of this study involves semi-structured interviews with patients, relatives and staff that will allow deeper exploration of the issues around current visiting policy. The interviews will last approximately 1 hour and will address these issues. They will then be transcribed word for word and analysed using grounded theory, meaning the theories will develop from the data as it is analysed.

This study evaluates a protocol for regional citrate anticoagulation in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury who are treated with continuous veno-venous haemofiltration in postdilution mode.

Parenteral Nutrition (PN) is prescribed to children with a non functioning gut. Timing of initiation of PN for critically ill children is a hotly issue. Therefore investigators aim to determine the optimal timing of initiation of PN among these children.This is a randomized clinical trial will be conducted at a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit(PICU) in tertiary care hospital. 140 participants will be randomized to receive either early or late PN. The 1st group gives PN on the 1st day of PICU admissions while the 2nd group gives late PN on the 7th day. Under-nutrition children, early PN will start on the 1st day while late PN begins on 4th day of admission. The outcomes are assessment of mechanical ventilation duration, PICU length stay, and mortality.