Active clinical trials for "Respiratory Insufficiency"

At present, little data is available in the medical literature regarding the affects of humidification on NIMV efficacy, sleep quality and upper airway symptoms in patients undergoing nocturnal NIMV. The aim of the present pilot study is to assess the impact of two humidification systems on sleep quality, NIMV efficacy, patient-ventilator interaction, prevalence of NIMV side effects, compliance to treatment, in a group of stable patients already enrolled in a long-term nocturnal mechanical ventilation program for chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure or sleep hypoventilation.

In unstable patients needing oxygen and/or home mechanical ventilation, a nurse-centred TM programme (supported by continuous availability of a call centre and a pulsed oxygen system) is cost/effective saving health care resources.

Patients undergoing intubation and mechanical ventilation require removal of secretion by means of trachoebronchial suctioning. Timing of the procedure is mainly based on clinical parameters. TBA Care® is a new commercially available device designed to generate a signal when secretions are present in the respiratory tract of intubated patients, thus indicating the need for endotracheal suctioning only when necessary and prior to clinical deterioration. In a prospective randomized trial in intubated and mechanically ventilated patients of a general ICU the researchers investigated the efficacy of TBA Care® in detecting the presence of retained secretions compared to the standard indicators.

Partial automation of mechanical ventilation in resuscitation has been available for several years. New modalities are being developed to completely automate ventilation and oxygenation parameters (IntelliVent®. This pilot study compares over a 48h period the safety and efficacy of IntelliVent®, versus a conventional ventilation modality.

Heart failure is a common reason for respiratory failure in ICU patients. The rapid and accurate differentiation of heart failure from other causes of respiratory failure remains a clinical challenge. BNP levels are significantly higher in patients with congestive heart failure as compared to patients with respiratory failure due to other causes. Therefore, rapid measurement of BNP might be very helpful in establishing or excluding the diagnosis of heart failure in patients with respiratory failure in the ICU. The aim is to test the hypothesis that a BNP guided diagnostic strategy would improve the evaluation and management of patients presenting with primary (on admission) or secondary (while in the ICU) respiratory failure in the ICU and thereby reduce total treatment time and total cost of treatment. Primary endpoints are time to discharge and total cost of treatment. Secondary endpoints are ICU length of stay, ICU cost, in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, cost-effectiveness, 6 and 12 month mortality, 6 and 12 month dyspnea score.

The purpose of this study is to collect physiologic data from patients with severe brain injury who require mechanical ventilation in order to describe the impact of ventilation, specifically positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), on intracranial pressure (ICP).

Long-term oxygen therapy improves survival in patients with severe hypoxia. However, some patients despite this oxygen, experience episodes of low oxygen levels (intermittent hypoxia) especially during sleep which may be harmful. In order to overcome this, the investigators have designed an auto-titrating oxygen system (called intelligent oxygen therapy) which automatically adjusts oxygen flow rates to maintain oxygen levels in patients already on oxygen. This study will investigate whether the intelligent oxygen therapy system can prevent intermittent hypoxia during sleep in patients already on long-term oxygen.

VENIM is a multicenter, open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled trial of studying the initial ventilation strategy for adult immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory failure.

In this study the investigators will assess the effects of secretion removal on "noninvasive" respiratory mechanics, in deeply sedated mechanically ventilated patients All the mechanically ventilated patients will be submitted to the recording of compliance and resistance at baseline (time0), immediately after the application of 10 cycles alternating 30 cmH20 during expiration and -30 cmH20 during exhalation (time1). Afterward the patients will undergo an additional trail using the so called "percussion" technique, to assess any synergic effect of this procedure (time2)

Long term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is proven to increase the survival of patients with respiratory failure, most commonly from diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). At least 15 hours' usage per day is needed to improve mortality. Most patients on LTOT utilise bulky oxygen concentrators (OC) which run on continuous Alternating Current (AC) power. This intervention, however, limits patient mobility and social engagement as patients are tethered to their device and confined to their homes. Reduced physical activity levels have been shown in COPD patients to be associated with reduced quality of life (QoL), increased admission rates to hospital and survival even after adjustment for severity of COPD. Significant benefits stand to be made by improving physical activity levels in LTOT patients. Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR), which is traditionally conducted in a healthcare setting, is an established intervention that addresses this by improving exercise tolerance but uptake and completion rates have been low due to reasons such as cost and difficulty with transport. LTOT usage is also cited as an independent barrier to PR. The investigators propose the establishment of a 10-week home-based physiotherapy programme as a novel community-centric and resource-lean intervention that seeks to improve the physical activity level of LTOT patients. Patients will be prescribed an ambulatory oxygen device and receive education on its usage in conjunction with a home exercise regimen which includes a home visit and subsequent telephone support by a physiotherapist in partnership with a community-based healthcare provider. A prospective pilot study of 30 patients is proposed. The outcome measures include mobility function, activity levels, generic and disease-specific QoL. If successful, our programme may revolutionize the approach to LTOT patients in Singapore and improve their ability to function independently in the community greatly; in addition, the reduction in hospital-based healthcare utilisation is greatly advantageous.