Active clinical trials for "Respiratory Insufficiency"

The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is defined by a recent (within 1 week) respiratory failure, not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload. ARDS is also characterized by bilateral opacities at the chest imaging, with an alteration of the oxygenation while positive end-expiratory pressure equal or greater than 5 cmH2O is applied. Severe ARDS is characterized by a high mortality. In the most severe ARDS patients, venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO) is increasingly accepted as a mean to support vital function, although not free from complications. In patients with severe ARDS, prone position has been used for many years to improve oxygenation. In these patients, early application of prolonged (16 hours) prone-positioning sessions significantly decreased 28-day and 90-day mortality. More recently, prone position and ECMO have been coupled as concurrent treatment. Indeed, the addition of prone positioning therapy concurrently with ECMO can aid in optimizing alveolar recruitment, and reducing ventilator-induced lung injury. Nowadays, few data exist on respiratory mechanics modifications before and after the application of prone position in patients with severe ARDS receiving vv-ECMO. The investigators have therefore designed this observational study to assess the modifications of mechanical properties of the respiratory system, ventilation and aeration distribution, and hemodynamics occurring during ECMO before and after prone position in patients with severe ARDS.

Flexible bronchoscopes are typically reusable and therefore need high level disinfection to prevent inadvertent spread of microbial pathogens from patient to patient. The process of disinfection is time consuming and expensive. Moreover, a bronchoscope being processed may not be readily available for another patient. One solution to this problem was to use a single use disposable sheath that covers a flexible bronchoscope protecting all surfaces of the bronchoscope.(Colt, Beamis, Harrell, & Mathur, 2000). Another way to eliminate potential hazards with a reusable bronchoscope is the use of a disposable bronchoscope. Such a disposable bronchoscope has been developed (Ambu aScope, Ambu, Glen Burnie, MD) and has been used successfully for intubations in manikins(Scutt et al., 2011) and patients. (Kristensen & Fredensborg, 2013; Pujol, López, & Valero, 2010; Tvede, Kristensen, & Nyhus-Andreasen, 2012). Further advancement in the imaging and handling of this disposable flexible bronchoscope now allows for the purpose of bronchoscopy and broncho-alveolar lavage in critically ill patients with pulmonary compromise. (FDA approval: 05-11-2013 date) The aim of the study is to compare image clarity, suction capacity, and handling performance of a reusable flexible bronchoscope to the disposable flexible bronchoscope. In addition, the investigators intend to perform a cost analysis.

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of 30 patients. Patients who qualify, as per the inclusion criteria (RASS greater than -3, less then +1, CAM positive, present gastric access) will either be given 200mg of modafinil or an identical, indistinguishable placebo. The placebo and study drug will be distributed by the hospital pharmacy. Once enrolled, each patient will be reassessed every morning to determine appropriateness for drug administration. If the RASS is less than -3 (i.e. comatose) or greater then 0 modafinil will not be given. He/she will then be assessed each morning thereafter. Due to the stimulant-like actions of modafinil, the drug will be administered only in the morning. Patients will be assessed for delirium at least twice a day; trained personnel using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) will do the assessment. Qualification for a delirium free day will be no positive CAM screens for 24 hours following drug administration. Additional data such as days on mechanical ventilation and progression to tracheotomy will also be collected hypothesizing that patients who take modafinil will have a shorter time to extubation therefore avoiding the need for a tracheotomy. Post-discharge from the unit, but within 48 hours, patients will be asked to participate in a survey (The Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) assessing their perception of daytime and nighttime sleepiness in the intensive care unit as well as their overall perception of rest. Their functional capacity will also be evaluated at this time and compared to their pre-morbid baseline. The hypothesis tested is that Modafinil restores sleep cycle synchrony in the ICU therefore increasing delirium free days and improving ICU outcomes.

Severe post-traumatic hypoxia is mainly due to lung contusion. The intubation rate of these patients is near 20%. Treatment before intubation is needed, is based on pain control with epidural anesthesia and oxygen. The investigators' hypothesis is that adding non-invasive mechanical ventilation to the standard treatment can reduce the intubation rate if applied early in the course of the disease. As thoracic trauma is often associated with injuries in other body regions that may increase the complications of the technique, specific contraindications have been described.

The incidence of pulmonary complications such as pulmonary atelectasis, pneumonia (including ventilator-associated pneumonia), and acute respiratory failure is high in critical care patients. The incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia can be as high as 27% amongst mechanically ventilated patients. Studies have shown that 16% of critically ill patients have been reported to develop acute respiratory failure, which is associated with prolonged intensive care unit stay, resulting in significantly higher mortality than non-respiratory failure patients. Increased morbidity and mortality contribute to the burden on the health care system and lead to poor health-related outcomes. Multimodal physiotherapy plays a role in the management of these critically ill patients. High frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) is used in patients with underlying pulmonary atelectasis, excessive airway secretions, and respiratory failure. HFPV is a non-continuous form of high-frequency ventilation delivered by a pneumatic device that provides small bursts of sub-physiological tidal breaths at a frequency of 60-600 cycles/minute superimposed on a patient's breathing cycle. The high-frequency breaths create shear forces causing dislodgement of the airway secretions. Furthermore, the HFPV breath cycle has an asymmetrical flow pattern characterized by larger expiratory flow rates, which may propel the airway secretions towards the central airway. In addition, the applied positive pressure recruits the lung units, resulting in a more homogeneous distribution of ventilation and improved gas exchange. In acute care and critical care settings, HFPV intervention is used in a range of patients, from spontaneously breathing patients to those receiving invasive mechanical ventilation where HFPV breaths can be superimposed on a patient's breathing cycle or superimposed on breaths delivered by a mechanical ventilator. The most common indications for HFPV use are reported as removal of excessive bronchial secretions, improving gas exchange, and recruitment of atelectatic lung segments. This study aims to assess the lung physiological response to HFPV in terms of aeration and ventilation distribution.

Mechanical ventilation is essential in the management of patients in Intensive Care. The approach to patients with prolonged weaning is challenging.In this context, it is vital to implement "diaphragmatic protection" strategies, which consist of programming the level of ventilator assistance focused on sustaining the muscular effort within an objective range. The reference method for measuring inspiratory effort is the Pressure-Time Product (PTP) of the esophagus. Recently, Bertoni et al. proposed the measurement of Occlusion Pressure as a non-invasive method, without the need to assess esophageal pressure, to estimate the magnitude of the effort and program assistance. Although it is a validated measurement for quantifying effort, it does not consider the duration of the effort performed by the patient, as well as the respiratory rate, two fundamental variables in terms of tolerance to the load. Therefore, the investigators propose the following study that will seek to validate the measurement of PTP in from the Occlusion Pressure, but considering inspiratory time and respiratory rate to obtain PTP per breath and per minute.

The purpose of this study is to investigate a specific approach to patient care called a time-limited trial (TLT). This approach is sometimes used for people who develop critical illness and are cared for in an intensive care unit (ICU). A time-limited trial is a plan made together by medical teams, patients with critical illness (if they can take part), and their families or other important people helping to make their healthcare decisions. A time-limited trial starts with a discussion of the patient's goals and wishes. Then, a plan is made to use ICU treatments for a set period of time to give the patient the chance to recover. After this time, the patient's response to treatment will be reviewed to help guide what to do next. Medical teams consider this kind of plan when it is not clear if a patient can recover to a quality of life that is acceptable to him or her. With a time-limited trial, patients, families, and medical teams experience this uncertainty together. The main goal of this study is to find the best way to use TLTs for patients in the ICU who have trouble breathing and need mechanical ventilation to help them breathe. The hypothesis is that optimal time-limited trial delivery will reduce the time patients with acute respiratory failure spend in the ICU and will improve the intensive care unit experiences for their families and clinicians.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a potential shortage of life-saving mechanical ventilators. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a novel simpler to device, the automated bag-valve-mask (BVM) compressor, can be used to provide assisted ventilation temporarily to patients in need. This includes patients with COVID-19 lung infection and respiratory failure. If successful, this would increase the pool of total available ventilator hours to alleviate any shortage.

The study objective is to improve morbidity and mortality of high-risk critically ill children. Our hypothesis is that a strict ICU glucose control protocol will decrease morbidity and mortality associated with hyperglycemia in a population of high-risk critically ill pediatric patients.

This study aims to evaluate the use of POCUS to assess diaphragmatic function and its association with clinical outcomes in patients with respiratory failure who are admitted to the emergency department.