Active clinical trials for "Respiratory Insufficiency"

The aims of the study are to: Implement a telemonitoring programme in heart failure and obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) /chronic respiratory patients by assessing the real world impact of on readmissions, consults, home visits, quality of life and economic endpoints. Explore the effects of telemonitoring across heart and respiratory groups with respect to i) factors that influence how patients integrate telemonitoring into their daily routines and self care behaviour and ii) how healthcare professionals use telemonitoring to aid decision- making. Understand the impact of telemonitoring on a variety of care pathways.

Lower lobe atelectasis of the lung is common in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and has the potential to adversely impact lung compliance and intra-pulmonary shunt. The cephalic shift of the diaphragm and dorsal atelectasis associated with the commonly used supine position might also contribute to this shunt. Reports indicate that obese patients may be more likely to develop dorsal atelectasis than non-obese patients. The investigators hypothesized that opening the body position angle at the waist from a typical head of bed at 30 degrees to one similar to a more upright reverse trendelenburg position, would alter the position of the diaphragm downward, allowing for improved aeration of lung bases. Thus, the investigators examined the upright body positioning in mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS primarily by evaluating for effects on oxyhemoglobin saturation (O2sat), Tidal Volume (TV) and Respiratory Rate (RR).

The purpose of this study is to compare two common methods of providing respiratory support: nasal continuous airway pressure and high flow nasal cannula to see what effect it has on babies breathing. The investigators also will compare the effects of slightly changing the level of support these two different types of therapy on how easily your baby is breathing. Changes in the level of support and between these two respiratory support modalities are frequently done and are part of the routine care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

In critically ill pediatric patients with Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF), Noninvasive Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (NCPAP) is applied to avoid intubation and all related complications such as tracheal injury and predisposition to nosocomial pulmonary infections. The choice of the interface is one of the crucial issues affecting treatment outcome in pediatric age and in particular in preschool children in whom intolerance frequently compromise noninvasive respiratory treatment. NCPAP is applied either through nasal or facial tight fitting masks and the most important principle in guiding the selection of an interface is that it should fit comfortably. However, while nasal mask can leak gas when the infant opens his/her mouth, facial mask can cause significant gastric distension and vomiting, with risk of aspirating gastric contents. Moreover, complications such as air leaks, skin irritation on the bridge of the nose, and discomfort reported with nasal or facial masks in children frequently lead to interruption of the respiratory treatment. Thus, improving the interface between the patient and the ventilator would be expected to facilitate longer and more effective application of NCPAP. A new small helmet specifically designed for young infants has been recently introduced to administer NCPAP. In a recent short term crossover physiological randomized controlled trial, the investigators found that NCPAP by helmet was associated with enhanced feasibility, less need of sedation and prolonged application time (see references below). The purpose of this prospective randomized multicenter study is to compare the efficacy and feasibility of NCPAP delivered either by helmet or by facial mask to treat acute respiratory failure in infants admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Mechanical ventilation is one of the only treatment that has improved survival of patients with neuromuscular respiratory failure. As disease progresses, some patients may require longer ventilation period. Non invasive mechanical ventilation is the preferred method of ventilation but it may interfere with speech and communication of patients who require ventilation throughout the day. The investigators are evaluating the effect on speech and communication of a ventilation device which allows patients to momentarily and voluntarily withhold ventilation if they want to speak. This should allow the patients to have a more fluid speech.

Non invasive ventilation (NIV) is generally delivered by pneumatically triggered and cycled-off Pressure Support (PSP) through a facial mask. Compared to PSP, Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA), which is the only ventilatory mode using a non-pneumatic signal, i.e., diaphragm electrical activity (EAdi), to trigger and drive ventilator assistance, improves patient-ventilator interaction. A specific setting to generate neurally controlled Pressure Support (PSN) was recently proposed for delivering NIV by helmet. The investigators here compare PSN with PSP and NAVA during NIV by facial mask, with respect to arterial blood gases (ABGs), patient comfort, and patient-ventilator interaction and synchrony. Three 30-minute trials of NIV were randomly delivered to 14 patients immediately after extubation to prevent post-extubation respiratory failure: 1) PSP, with an inspiratory support ≥8 cmH2O; 2) NAVA, adjusting the NAVA level to achieve a comparable peak EAdi (EAdipeak) as during PSP; 3) PSN, setting the NAVA level at 15 cmH2O/mcV with an upper airway pressure (Paw) limit such to obtain the same overall Paw applied during PSP. We assessed EAdipeak, ABGs, peak inspiratory flow (PIF), time to reach PIF (PIFtime), pressure-time product of the first 300 (PTP300-index) and 500 (PTP500-index) milliseconds after initiation of patient effort, patient comfort, inspiratory trigger delay (DelayTR-insp), and the rate of asynchrony, as assessed by the Asynchrony Index (AI%).

Patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure can be successfully treated with home nocturnal non-invasive ventilation. Bi-level pressure support ventilators are at present the most frequently used ventilators for long term home ventilation. A recently commercialized bi-level ventilator offers the feature of automatically adjusting pressure support on the basis of a pre-determined ideal effective ventilation. Because this option may induce important swings in pressure support, and thus patient discomfort, and maybe increase leaks, we chose to analyse the impact of average volume assured pressure support (AVAPS) on patient comfort, subjective and objective quality of sleep and efficacy of ventilatory support.

The occurrence of acute respiratory failure (ARF) is often seen by oncologists as a terminal phase of the disease, this view being based on studies reporting limited survival at considerable costs in such patients. A large proportion of cancer patients with severe respiratory failure are denied admission to an ICU because intensive care specialists are aware that intubation and mechanical ventilation are both strong predictors of mortality in critically ill cancer patients. This holds particularly true in the subset of patients who are not receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy because of the advanced stage of their disease, and who are also not affected by an episode of ARF, related to a reversible cause. These patients often receive oxygen therapy and morphine in an attempt to improve oxygenation and/or relieve the ensuing dyspnea. Non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) is now the first line treatment of ARF in selected populations (e.g., those with COPD) and has been used sporadically as a potential treatment of acute respiratory failure in patients with a "do-not-intubate" order. The International Consensus Conference on Intensive Care Medicine stated that "the use of NIV may be justified in selected patients who are "not to be intubated" and may provide patient comfort and facilitate physician-patient interaction." "Early" NIV has been successfully used so far in cancer patients only to prevent intubation among those with hematologic malignancies, while a pilot study has assessed the feasibility of NIV also as a "palliative" treatment of end-stage solid cancer patients. So far we are lacking data about the "pure palliative" effects of NIV,in patients with end-stage solid cancer. The aim of this multicenter randomised study will be to evaluate on a large scale the feasibility, clinical efficacy and impact on quality of life and dyspnea of NIV versus standard medical in patients with respiratory failure, not related to a reversible cause, and solid cancer needing palliative care treatment.

Background: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a non-invasive heated and humidified oxygen delivery device that is capable of delivering high-flow rates. It is a relatively new modality that has been introduced as an alternative to conventional oxygen therapy. The clinical value of the use of HFNC is not limited to its ventilation and oxygenation effects, it enables the patient to talk and is purported to permit oral feeding during oxygen therapy despite the limited evidence regarding its impact on swallow function. This study will determine the impact of different flow rates of a high-flow nasal cannula on spontaneous swallowing frequency at rest and swallowing effort and timing while swallowing. Methods: This is a prospective study designed to measure swallowing frequency and swallowing effort in fifty healthy adult volunteers. Participants will receive three levels of HFNC flow rates (30, 45, and 60 L/min) through nasal prongs. The study participants will be asked to swallow measured amounts of water and applesauce and subjected to each flow rate for 15 minutes. Swallowing effort measurement through surface electromyography (sEMG) will be recorded at baseline and the three levels of HFNC flow rates interventions.

Esophageal balloon calibration (EBC) has been proposed during controlled mechanical ventilation in intubated patients in order to optimize esophageal pressure (Pes) signal. Actually, at our knowledge, no data exist about EBC during assisted ventilatory modes such as Pressure Support Ventilation (PSV). The primary endpoint of the present investigation is to assess the feasibility of EBC during PSV and PSV plus Sigh.