Mechanical Ventilation

Tracheostomy is one of the most common procedures in the intensive care unit in patients who need prolonged invasive mechanical ventilation. There is controversy in the literature regarding the ideal timing for performing tracheostomy in critically ill patients. Early tracheostomy may be associated with a decrease in ventilation days and hospitalization. We would like to investigate whether in ventilated patients with Guillain Barre syndrome, early tracheostomy will be associated with decreased ventilation days, decreased mortality and shorter hospital and ICU length of stay.

The NUTRIREA-4 trial will test the hypothesis that an individually tailored rehabilitation program combining nutritional therapy, physiotherapy, and physical activity and started early in the ICU then continued uninterruptedly throughout the post-ICU stay and at home after hospital discharge improves the long-term outcomes of critical-illness survivors, compared to usual care. From ICU admission to recovery at home, the trial patients will receive either usual care or the early extended rehabilitation program. Usual care will consist in nutritional support and physiotherapy according to usual local practice in each participating ICU. The early extended program will consist of nutritional therapy, physiotherapy, and physical activity according to a standardized protocol tailored to general- and muscle-health improvements achieved in each individual patient over time.

One challenge with decision making for mechanically ventilated is that their prognosis is often uncertain. The ProVent-14 score incorporates clinical variables measured on the 14th day of mechanical ventilation to predict risk of death in one year. The ProVent-14 is easy to calculate has been externally validated. However, it is unclear how often clinicians use the ProVent-14 score to predict long-term outcomes for patients requiring 14 days of mechanical ventilation or if it helps clinicians make more accurate predictions. The purpose of this study is to determine whether ICU clinicians who receive a patient's ProVent-14 score make more accurate predictions for mortality at one year than ICU clinicians who do not.

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the impact of a ventilation strategy with a lower respiratory rate (RR) (permissive lung-protective ventilation) on clinical outcomes in adult critically ill patients receiving invasive ventilation. The main question it aims to answer is: Is a permissive lung-protective ventilation, defined as a strategy that reduces ventilatory intensity by stepwise lowering RR to the lowest level permitted by predefined safety limits, superior to conventional lung-protective ventilation, with respect to the number of days free from ventilation and alive at day 28 (VFD-28) in adult critically ill patients receiving invasive ventilation? Researchers will compare permissive lung-protective ventilation with conventional lung-protective ventilation to see if it improves clinical outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two ventilation strategies under investigation and followed up for 28 days.

At the heart of healthcare is the interaction between healthcare practitioners and patients. It is believed that optimisation of this interaction can improve patient relevant outcomes, safety and patient experience. Through utilisation of practitioner physiological data, heart rate variability (HRV), to help practitioners make better decisions and optimise practice, it is considered possible to improve decision making around patient care and improve outcomes and safety. The modern intensive care unit (ICU) is a dynamic data rich environment requiring rapid and accurate decision making. Advances in ventilator technology, electronic patient monitoring and electronic health records (EHR) have provided exponential growth in data produced for patients and the need for complex decision making. However, data overload and alarm fatigue can result in poor understanding and a delayed response from the practitioner in addressing the patient's needs. The aim of this study is to present and evaluate a psychophysiology training approach for practitioners derived from their cardiovascular response through the course of the working day, this will be measured using heart rate variability (HRV). Practitioner HRV has been shown to be linked to work related stress and is considered a biomarker of decision-making.

The goal of this prospective observational study is to describe the incidence of reverse trigger (RT) in mechanically ventilated patients with diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Real incidence of RT based on continuous monitoring * The response to mechanical ventilatiory adjustments Participants will be included as soon as neuromuscular blockers (NMB)/sedation is stopped or in case of spontaneous respiratory efforts detection, whatever happens first. Continuous monitoring will be performed by esophageal manometry until switch to a pressure support (spontaneous) mode, restart of deep sedation/neuromuscular blockers by medical indication, or death. In order to allow detection of possible RT in patients with ongoing sedation/NMB, mechanical ventilator waveforms will be screened every 1-2 hours by investigators and critical care physicians with at least 1 year of specific training in detection of dyssynchronies.

This prospective observational cohort study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of serial bedside ultrasound assessment of diaphragmatic function in adult patients with septic shock. Diaphragmatic excursion, thickness, and thickening fraction will be assessed using point of care ultrasound at baseline and serially during the first 72 hours of intensive care admission. Dynamic changes in these parameters will be analyzed in relation to the development of respiratory failure, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, duration of mechanical ventilation, weaning and extubation outcomes, length of ICU stay, and mortality. The study will determine whether dynamic diaphragmatic ultrasound assessment can provide an early, non-invasive predictor of respiratory failure and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with septic shock.

This international, multicenter, observational study aims to describe rehabilitation practices in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) worldwide. The primary objective is to provide an overview of current rehabilitation strategies used in ICUs globally. Secondary objectives include assessing the relationship between rehabilitation and key ICU outcomes such as ICU and hospital mortality, length of stay, duration of invasive ventilation, extubation failures, and long-term outcomes including quality of life and functional performance 28 days post-ICU discharge. The study will also compare rehabilitation practices across different geographic and economic regions to identify potential disparities. The study is structured into three modules, with participation contingent on local resources and feasibility. The BASIC Module (mandatory for all centers) gathers fundamental data on rehabilitation practices and their association with patient outcomes. The EXTENDED Module (optional) collects more detailed information on the type, timing, duration, and safety of rehabilitation interventions, including passive exercises, active mobilization, respiratory therapies, dysphagia training, occupational therapy, and cognitive support. The EXTENDED FOLLOW-UP Module (optional) evaluates the patient's quality of life and functional recovery 28 days after ICU discharge. By examining global rehabilitation practices and their impact on patient outcomes, this study aims to improve rehabilitation strategies in ICUs, contributing to better patient care, recovery, and long-term health outcomes.

In an international multicenter randomized clinical pilot trial, intraoperative flow-controlled ventilation (FCV) will be compared with volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) in patients scheduled for (open, video- or robot-assisted) thoracic surgery with one-lung ventilation (OLV). This pilot trial is designed to test the feasibility and safety of FCV during all phases of intraoperative ventilation, and in particular during OLV, and to inform the design of a future trial testing the efficacy of FCV with regard to postoperative outcomes, including postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC). The ventilation modes are conducted with CE-marked medical devices (anesthesia ventilators or medical ventilators), however these medical devices themselves are not under investigation. All CE-marked standard medical devices from varied manufacturers in use at the participating study centers will be used in full accordance with their instructions for use. FCV has shown safety and feasibility in various surgical settings, including thoracic surgery with OLV, however its feasibility in a multicenter trial has not been investigated yet.

This retrospective cohort study will include 412 adults mechanically ventilated \>24 hours in intensive care unit in sohag university hospital between 2024 and 2026). Participants will be assigned to either, EGDS group ( equal to 208 ) or conventional sedation group (equal to 204 ). The main endpoint will be measured is the incidence of delirium in ICU , measured by the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU). Secondary endpoints will be the number of the days free from ventilation at 28 days (VFDs), ICU length of stay (LOS) in the ICU, and the death during hospitalization.

The HERMES Phase III study is an international, multicenter, prospective observational investigation designed to characterize the quality and safety of patient transport during advanced respiratory support. The study will enroll patients undergoing prehospital, interhospital, or intrahospital transport while receiving advanced respiratory support, including high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO), noninvasive ventilation (NIV), or invasive mechanical ventilation, as determined by routine clinical practice. The study protocol will not assign respiratory-support modalities, transport strategies, or therapeutic interventions. The primary objective is to prospectively evaluate clinical, technical, organizational, and transport-related factors associated with the safe continuation of respiratory support throughout patient transport. Data collection will include patient characteristics, respiratory-support modality and settings, transport characteristics, physiologic monitoring, transport-team composition, oxygen and electrical power resources, equipment-related events, interruptions or modifications of respiratory support, clinical deterioration, rescue interventions, escalation of respiratory support, and other transport-associated adverse events. HERMES Phase III constitutes the prospective multicenter component of a broader research program that previously included an international survey of respiratory-support transport practices and an exploratory prospective feasibility evaluation of portable external power during ambulance transport.

This observational study will explore the effects of PEEP and position on regional lung ventilation-perfusion mismatch by electrical impedance tomography (EIT) in moderate-to-severe ARDS patients with different lung recruitability.

Indirect calorimetry is used in intensive care to measure how much oxygen a patient consumes and how much carbon dioxide is produced. These measurements are used to estimate energy expenditure and help guide nutritional treatment. In mechanically ventilated patients, however, ventilator settings may potentially influence the accuracy of indirect calorimetry. This study will investigate whether changes in positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), a routinely used ventilator setting, affect measurements obtained by indirect calorimetry in critically ill mechanically ventilated adults. Each participant will undergo indirect calorimetry at three PEEP levels: 8, 12, and 16 cmH2O. Each PEEP level will be maintained for a stabilization period before measurements are obtained. Other ventilator settings will be kept unchanged during the measurement sequence whenever clinically feasible. The study will compare oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), respiratory quotient (RQ), and resting energy expenditure (REE) across the three PEEP levels. The aim is to determine whether clinically relevant changes in PEEP systematically influence indirect calorimetry measurements and their interpretation.

The goal of this trial is to learn if one mode of mechanical ventilation (i.e. machine to help with breathing) is better than another in children who need help from a machine to breathe. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How hard do children need to work to breathe when they are using different types of modes of mechanical ventilation? * Evaluate which mode of mechanical ventilation performs better when the patient is clinically awake enough to start breaths

During laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia, lung function can be affected by increased abdominal pressure and patient positioning. Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is a ventilator setting that helps keep the lungs open during surgery. In standard practice, a fixed PEEP level is applied to all patients. An individualized PEEP approach tailors this setting to each patient based on lung recruitment maneuvers. This study investigates whether individualized PEEP improves oxygenation compared to standard PEEP in patients undergoing laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery. Oxygenation will be continuously monitored using the Oxygen Reserve Index (ORI), a non-invasive sensor. Lung aeration will also be assessed before and after surgery using bedside lung ultrasound.

Hospitalization in an intensive care unit (ICU) is accompanied by major physical and emotional stress for patients, a source of discomfort and a risk factor for post-resuscitation syndrome. Efficient patient-caregiver and patient-family communication is needed to: understand the patient's symptoms in order to relieve them, understand the patient's primary needs, understand the patient's questions and concerns in order to respond to them, rehumanize our care and re-establish a more balanced relationship with the patient. However, communication with the patient is often limited, due for example to invasive mechanical ventilation: it is estimated that half of intubated patients meet basic communication criteria (calm patient responding to simple commands and verbal requests) after 2 days of mechanical ventilation, without however being able to express themselves verbally. Augmentative and alternative communication tools exist, ranging from pictograms and slates to voice synthesizers, and are used in ICU. The critical care departments of the University Hospitals of Marseille and Tours use a communication interface consisting of a mobile screen with eye tracking for vigilant patients unable to communicate verbally, which seems to have been appreciated by patients and their families, although its effect has not been measured. Connected glasses are one of the tools available. These are pairs of glasses fitted with infrared sensors that detect a signal predefined with the patient (such as a wink) and thus enable a tablet with customized communication software to be clicked on and navigated. Potential advantages over eye tracking, which has already been used in critical care departments, include: use in low-light conditions, smaller size (no need for an arm to adjust screen orientation), less concentration (eye tracking requires precise, sustained eye fixation). The objective is to conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility of using this tool in non temporarily speaking patients hospitalized in ICU.

The goal of this single-center, pilot, randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of using the Flow Index (FI) to guide Pressure Support (PS) titration in adult patients receiving Pressure Support Ventilation (PSV) who are expected to require invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is FI-guided PS titration feasible and safe in a clinical ICU setting, as assessed by the proportion of failed safety assessments and the emergency termination rate? * Does FI-guided PS titration result in a greater proportion of data collection points with respiratory muscle pressure (Pmus) within the normal range (5-10 cmH₂O) compared to conventional PS titration based on tidal volume and respiratory rate? Researchers will compare the FI-guided PS titration group to the conventional PS titration group to see if FI-guided adjustment improves the proportion of assessments with adequate inspiratory effort (avoiding both excessive and insufficient support), and whether it leads to differences in clinical outcomes including duration of mechanical ventilation, extubation failure rate, tracheostomy rate, length of ICU and hospital stay, and in-hospital all-cause mortality. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either conventional PS titration (adjusting PS to achieve tidal volume of 6-8 mL/kg predicted body weight and respiratory rate of 20-30 breaths/min) or FI-guided PS titration (adjusting PS to maintain FI between 2.6 and 4.5) * Complete an intervention period with PS adjustments performed twice daily (at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM) according to the assigned protocol * Have Pmus assessed at each data collection point to determine whether inspiratory effort falls within the target range * Undergo a 2-minute safety assessment after each PS adjustment to ensure adequate ventilation and avoid excessive airway pressures or respiratory distress * Be followed for up to 28 days after enrollment or until ICU discharge, with extended follow-up to hospital discharge or death for clinical outcome evaluation

This study investigates whether two simple bedside tests - the Passive Leg Raising (PLR) test and the Pleth Variability Index (PVI) - can predict a drop in blood pressure that sometimes occurs during a lung-opening procedure called an Alveolar Recruitment Maneuver (ARM). ARM is routinely performed during general anesthesia to prevent lung collapse and improve oxygen levels. However, in some patients - particularly those with low fluid levels - ARM can cause a temporary but significant drop in blood pressure (hypotension), which may require immediate treatment. In this prospective observational study, adult patients scheduled for elective non-cardiac, non-thoracic surgery under general anesthesia will be enrolled. Before each ARM is performed, PLR test and PVI values will be measured. We will then evaluate how well these measurements predict whether the patient will develop ARM-induced hypotension. If PLR and PVI can reliably identify patients at risk, clinicians may be able to take preventive steps before performing ARM, making the procedure safer for vulnerable patients.

The goal of this observational study is to unravel the occurence, impact and relations of Patient-Ventilator Aynchrony (PVA) in mechanically ventilated patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How often does PVA occur? * What are relations between clinical characteristics and PVA occurence? * What are relations between PVA occurence and patient outcomes? All questions will be assessed using data collected during the whole course of mechanical ventilation. Mechanically ventilated patients' medical data will be re-used. PVAs will be automatically classified on ventilator waveform data, using validated Deep Breath software.

Children in the pediatric intensive care unit often experience pain and stress from medical procedures, even while sedated. This study will test whether playing a recording of the child's mother's voice helps reduce pain and the need for sedation medication in children aged 1 to 3 years who are on a breathing machine (mechanical ventilator). Children will be randomly placed into one of two groups: one group will listen to a 10-minute recording of their mother's voice through headphones, while the other group will receive usual care with no recording. Researchers will measure pain and comfort levels, heart rate, oxygen levels, blood pressure, and breathing rate before, during, and after the session to see if listening to the mother's voice makes a difference.

Cardiac disease complicated by respiratory insufficiency comprises the most frequent indication for cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) admission, with nearly one-third patients requiring advanced respiratory support and over 20% patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). IMV among patients with impaired cardiovascular reserve is further compounded by the adverse impact of positive pressure ventilation (PPV) and systemic sedation on intracardiac hemodynamics, pulmonary vascular mechanics and consequently end-organ perfusion. Despite widespread use, evidence guiding optimal ventilatory practices and mode selection in cardiovascular intensive care unit patients remains limited. Pressure-controlled and volume-controlled ventilation may differ in their effects on patient-ventilator synchrony, sedation requirements, and hemodynamic impact, but comparative data among patients with critical cardiac disease remains inconclusive. This pilot study will evaluate the feasibility of implementing a pragmatic cluster-randomized crossover trial comparing ventilatory modes in a contemporary cardiovascular intensive care unit.

In this clinical trial, investigators want to learn more about using non-opioid pain medications for children with acute respiratory failure. Right now, doctors give these children opioids to help with pain while they are on the ventilator, but investigators don't know if this is the best way to manage their pain. Even with strong doses of opioids, more than 90% of these children still feel pain. Other pain medicines, like acetaminophen (also called Tylenol) and ketorolac (also called Toradol), are available but aren't commonly used because we don't know if they help. The goal of this clinical trial is to test if acetaminophen and/or ketorolac can improve pain control and reduce the need for stronger pain medications (opioids) in these children. To learn more about this, participants will be randomly placed in one of four study treatment groups. This means that a computer will decide by chance which group each participant is in, not the doctors running the study. Each group will receive a combination of intravenous acetaminophen, ketorolac or a harmless substance called a placebo. In this clinical trial, placebos help investigators see if the actual medications (acetaminophen and ketorolac) work better than something that doesn't contain medicine. By comparing participants who get the real medicine with those who get the placebo, investigators can find out if these medications effectively decrease pain.

The goal of this observational study is to learn whether inhaled sedation is a cost-effective alternative to intravenous propofol in mechanically ventilated critically ill adults admitted to the intensive care unit. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does inhaled sedation reduce the total cost of care compared with intravenous propofol? * Does inhaled sedation reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU length of stay? * Are adverse events different between patients receiving inhaled sedation and those receiving intravenous propofol? Researchers will compare patients who received inhaled sedation with patients who received intravenous propofol to see if inhaled sedation improves clinical outcomes and reduces overall costs. Participants will: * Be identified through review of electronic medical records * Be included if they are adults who received mechanical ventilation and were sedated with inhaled sedation or intravenous propofol * Contribute data on total costs of care, duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU length of stay, and adverse event

The goal of the BRAVE-HEART study is to learn if an amino acid infusion can reduce the risk of developing acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery in children. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does an amino acid infusion decrease the number of participants with acute kidney injury? 2. Does an amino acid infusion decrease the number of days that participants are on a ventilator after cardiac surgery? Researchers will compare amino acids to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if amino acids decrease the number of participants with acute kidney injury. Participants will receive an amino acid or placebo infusion for up to 72 hours starting during cardiac surgery and only while in the operating room or the intensive care unit.

Mechanical ventilation is commonly used in critically ill patients with acute brain injury. Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and lung recruitment maneuvers are important ventilator strategies for improving oxygenation, but they may also influence cerebral blood flow, systemic hemodynamics, carbon dioxide levels, and brain electrical activity. The effects of PEEP-related ventilator changes on cortical function in neurocritical care patients remain insufficiently understood. This prospective observational physiological study will evaluate changes in brain electrical activity and cerebral blood flow during clinically indicated lung recruitment maneuvers and PEEP adjustments in mechanically ventilated neurocritical care patients. Multimodal monitoring will include electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial Doppler ultrasound, invasive arterial blood pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide, and routine clinical variables. EEG-derived measures, including delta power ratio and related frequency-domain indicators, will be used to describe cortical activity. Cerebral blood flow velocity and low-frequency neurovascular coupling measures will be explored as secondary physiological outcomes. The study will examine whether PEEP-related changes are associated with alterations in EEG activity, cerebral blood flow, and neurovascular coupling, and whether these responses differ according to clinical status. The results may help improve understanding of brain-lung interactions during mechanical ventilation and inform future studies on individualized ventilation strategies in neurocritical care.