Active clinical trials for "Respiratory Distress Syndrome"

Due to lack of studies on mechanical ventilation strategies in patients with severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) supported with Veno-Venous Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV ECMO), ventilator settings in this patient population are set arbitrarily. In this two-phases prospective, interventional, pilot study we hope to gain physiologically relevant data on two aspects of mechanical ventilation in patients with severe ARDS supported with VV ECMO: (1) the use of tidal ventilation and (2) the level of Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP). PHASE 1: impact of tidal ventilation on VILI (10 patients) We hypothesized that a CPAP strategy that minimizes end-tidal pulmonary stress and strain mitigates VILI compared to the current mechanical ventilation practice that employs tidal ventilation in patients with severe ARDS on ECMO. In this first phase we will test whether administering a distending inspiratory pressure to produce tidal ventilation is superior to a strategy where only continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is applied for ventilation induced lung injury (VILI) mitigation, as assessed by its impact on biotrauma (serum cytokines) and physiologic measurements. PHASE 2: impact of PEEP on VILI (10 patients) We also hypothesized that adjusting PEEP to maximize respiratory system compliance reduces VILI in patients with severe ARDS on ECMO. In the second phase we will therefore gain more insight as to whether a strategy that utilizes a PEEP level that correspond to best compliance is beneficial over Zero End-Expiratory Pressure (ZEEP). We will test the impact of both strategies on biotrauma (serum cytokines), physiologic parameters, and right ventricular function (transesophageal echocardiographic assessment). Because ARDS patients supported with VV ECMO can be hemodynamically unstable, the use of imaging techniques that require transport, such as computed tomography, is limited. Therefore, bedside imaging techniques, such as pleural and lung ultrasound (PLUS) and focused bedside cardiac ultrasonography, are important tools for clinicians who care for these patients. This study will allow us to learn whether these techniques are feasible and valid in this patient population. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from this study will allow us to assess the rationale and feasibility of performing a similar larger, randomized study in the future.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate whether a multi-component implementation strategy/quality improvement intervention comprised of 1) clinical decision support that couples a natural language processing (NLP) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) recognition tool with a clinician alert system, and 2) audit and feedback improves the implementation of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) for patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This will be accomplished with a cluster randomized controlled trial comparing the implementation strategy to usual care

ARDS is a severe pathology with high mortality and morbidity.Actual ventilatory management is clear for the set of the tidal volume and for the survey of the plateau pressure for the patients who require mechanical ventilation. The set of the PEEP (low or high levels) remains unclear : it seems that some patients need low levels of PEEP whereas anther need high levels; but there is no validated data that can discriminate them. We hypothesized that patients with low levels of EVLW ( measured with the Picco® system ) need low level of PEEP to ameliorate their oxygenation ( measured with the PaO2/FiO2 ratio ) whereas patients with high levels of EVLW) need high levels of PEEP.

The purpose of this study has two major goals: 1) to measure the amount of two specific hormones interleukin (IL)-10 and interleukin (IL)-12p70 in mucous and blood; and 2) compare the hormone levels in two specific areas of the lung called the trachea (upper airway) and the bronchioles (lower airway). The hormones IL-10 and IL-12p70 are cytokines, special hormones cells use to communicate with each other during inflammation or infection. Cytokines can be measured in mucous and blood. The balance of one cytokine compared to another help doctors to understand how people respond differently to infection. Unfortunately, the amount of IL-10 and IL-12p70 is not known in children, especially children with a lung infection. In addition, we do not know if the balance of these cytokines differ in various regions of the lung. We believe the balance of IL-10 and IL-12p70 is similar whether measured in the upper or lower airways.

Mechanical ventilation is a life-sustaining intervention in premature infants with respiratory difficulties. There is relative consensus when to intubate and provide positive pressure mechanical ventilation in the presence of respiratory failure. In contrast, discontinuation of mechanical ventilation during recovery remains largely subjective. A potential predictive tool for neonatal extubation is the Spontaneous Breathing Trial (SBT). The efficacy of SBT or other tests used in older patient populations in improving clinical judgment is questionable in the neonatal population with its unique physiology, respiratory mechanics and drive factors. Christiana Care Health System NICU currently uses the SBT as a standard part of neonatal assessment for extubation from mechanical ventilation. Infants in the CCHS NICU are routinely cared for in multiple positions (prone, supine, lateral) throughout the day. What is unknown is the impact of infant positioning on the SBT. An SBT performed in one position may not predict infant respiratory status after extubation in another position. Understanding the impact of infant positioning and work of breathing indices independently or in combination with an SBT will aid clinicians in decision-making and potentially decrease neonatal morbidity (inaccuracy with timing and safety of extubation). This pilot study will begin to explore these clinically relevant factors. Objectives: This pilot study will investigate the (1) role of infant position on SBT score and (2) the relationship of work of breathing indices in reference to the SBT score and infant position.

ROSETTA is a multi-centre study evaluating the time course of diaphragm thickness and function following exposure to neuromuscular blockade or control in patients with acute respiratory distress. ROSETTA is an ancillary study to the Re-evaluation of Systemic Early Neuromuscular Blockade (ROSE) trial (NCT02509078). It is designed to (1) test the feasibility of a multi-center evaluation of the diaphragm structure and function by ultrasound during mechanical ventilation and (2) determine whether neuromuscular blockade accelerates atrophy and dysfunction of the diaphragm in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Healthy biological systems are characterized by a normal range of "variability" in organ function. For example, many studies of heart rate clearly document that loss of the normal level of intrinsic, beat-to-beat variability in heart rate is associated with poor prognosis and early death. Unlike the heart, little is known about patterns of respiratory variability in illness. What is known is that, like the heart, healthy subjects have a specific range of variability in breath- to-breath depth and timing. Additionally, in animal models, ventilator strategies that re-introduce normal variability to the breathing pattern significantly reduce ventilator-associated lung injury. Critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation offer an opportunity to observe and analyze respiratory patterns in a completely non-invasive manner. Current mechanical ventilators produce real-time output of respiratory tracings that can analyzed for variability. The investigators propose to non-invasively record these tracings from patients ventilated in the intensive care units for mathematical variability analysis. The purpose of these pilot analyses are to: (1) demonstrate the range of respiratory variability present in the mechanically ve ventilated critically ill and (2) demonstrate the ventilator modality that delivers or permits the closest approximation to previously described beneficial or normal levels of variability. Future studies will use this pilot data in order to determine if the observed patterns of respiratory variability in mechanically ventilated critically ill subjects have prognostic or therapeutic implications.

This is a pilot study to test feasibility of collection, preparation and infusion of a baby's own (autologous) umbilical cord blood in the first 14 days after birth if the baby is born premature <35 weeks of gestation.

Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and the more severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) are a significant problem in Pediatric Intensive Care Units, affecting up to 16 of every 1000 children admitted to these units. These disorders carry with them high mortality rates as well as numerous long-term effects for the surviving children. As the effects of these diseases have significant social and economic ramifications for affected children and their families, research on the development of ALI/ARDS could significantly change how physicians understand the disease and treat patients. There are a wide range of problems which make certain PICU patients more likely to develop either ALI or ARDS. This research aims to determine which of these children are at the greatest risk for ALI/ARDS by examining differences in plasma biomarkers and in DNA of a large number of PICU patients. We are hypothesizing that significant differences in the level of specific plasma biomarkers or in the frequency of specific DNA variants exist in children who develop ALI/ARDS.

The investigators wish to compare the difference in both cost and time to result for determining fetal lung maturity for the Lamellar Body Count method and the Fetal Lung Maturity II. Our hypothesis is that the time to result will be significantly less using the Lamellar Body Count method, and the cost associated with this method over the traditional FLM II will be favorable.