Active clinical trials for "Acute Lung Injury"

Severe sepsis/septic shock is a serious condition associated with high mortality rate. Hydrocortisone has been recommended as a useful treatment to decrease mortality in hemodynamically unstable septic shock patients, not response to fluid and moderate dose of vasopressor. During the progression of severe sepsis/septic shock, multi-organ dysfunction can develop. Acute lung injury (ALI) and its more severe form, acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS) is one of the common organ dysfunction associated with septic shock. Information from a meta-analysis suggested that moderate dose of hydrocortisone may improve the ARDS patients' outcome. Whether hydrocortisone can effectively prevent disease progression and death in severe sepsis/septic shock patients who complicated with ALI/ARDS has not been proven.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in combination with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is a life-threatening condition, particularly when treatment modalities such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and catecholamine administration have failed to treat the severe condition. In this study, the investigators report patients who responded to intrapleural steroid instillation (IPSI) while being unresponsive to conventional treatment (use of intravenous steroids, nitric oxide inhalation, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, or ECMO) for treatment of critical illnesses such as ARDS in combination with MODS.

Many patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome or ARDS need breathing support that is provided by a machine called a ventilator or respirator. The purpose of this study is to find out if a new method of setting the ventilator for patients with severe ARDS is better than the standard, commonly used way of setting the ventilator.

30% of ARDS patients ventilated according to NIH protocol presents morphological (CT) and functional (Stress Index>1) conditions of hyperinflation even with Plateau pressure (Pplat) < 30 cmH2O; values of Pplat lower than 26 cmH2O were associated with more a condition of more protective ventilation. In patients at risk of hyperinflation, use of alternative techniques such as CO2-removal my allow the reduction of Tidal Volume (Vt) and Pplat.

Background and objective: To determine the efficacy of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) and its effects upon intubation rate and mortality in ARDS.

An enteral diet supplemented with ginger extract in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients may be beneficial for gas exchange and could decrease duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU).

Summary of the proposed research: The intravenous application of prostacyclin (PGE1) or its stable analogue, iloprost, has been used to cause a decrease not only of the pulmonary but also of the systemic vascular tone. Aerosolized prostacyclin, on the other hand, can result in a selective pulmonary vasodilatation without affecting the systemic blood pressure as shown in preliminary studies/case reports. No large trials exist for this type of use of the drug so far. Furthermore, aerosolized PGI2 can improve gas exchange and pulmonary shunt in clinical settings of impaired ventilation/perfusion ratio as it occurs in adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to the redistribution of pulmonary blood flow from non-ventilated to ventilated, aerosol accessible lung regions. Therefore, the investigators propose to carry out a prospective, double blinded, randomized trial to show that the nebulized iloprost decreases pulmonary hypertension selectively and improves oxygenation in ARDS.

To assess rapidly innovative treatment methods in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome as well as those at risk of developing ARDS.

This study will examine in healthy volunteers how breathing carbon monoxide (CO) affects lung inflammation. Severe lung inflammation sometimes develops in patients with pneumonia or patients who develop serious blood stream infections. Studies in the laboratory and in animals show that CO can decrease lung inflammation. Healthy volunteers between 18 and 40 years of age who do not smoke, are not taking any medications, do not have asthma, are not allergic to sulfa- and penicillin-based drugs, and are not pregnant may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, electrocardiogram (EKG), and chest x-ray. Subjects are enrolled in either a pilot study or the main study. Participants undergo bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage to study the effects of endotoxin (a component of bacteria that causes inflammation similar to that in patients with lung infections) on lung function. Before the procedure, a small plastic tube (catheter) is placed in a vein to collect blood samples and another is placed in an artery to check blood pressure. For the bronchoscopy, the mouth and nasal airways are numbed with lidocaine, and a bronchoscope (thin flexible tube) is passed through the nose into the airways of the lung. A small amount of salt water is squirted through the bronchoscope into one lung and then salt water containing endotoxin is squirted into the other lung. Following the bronchoscopy, subjects are treated with either CO or room air (placebo) for 6 hours. (Subjects in the pilot study receive treatment for only 3 hours). The gas is delivered through a cushioned mask placed over the nose and mouth. The amount of exhaled CO is measured before, during, and after inhalation of the gas. For this measurement, subjects take a deep breath to fill up their lungs and slowly exhale into a mouthpiece connected to a measuring device until they feel their lungs are empty. After the CO treatment, a second bronchoscopy is done to examine how the lung responded to the CO or room air. This is studied in two ways. To sample the air, a large needle is used to withdraw air through the bronchoscope over about 3 seconds. Then the areas of the lung that were squirted with salt water alone and with endotoxin and salt water and are rinsed (lavage) and cells and secretions are collected. ...

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of etanercept in the treatment of patients with sub-acute lung injury following a bone marrow transplant. This study will also examine the toxicity of treatment with etanercept as well as whether there is an improved quality of life in these patients.