Clinical trials

Bronchoscopy diagnosis and treatment is highly irritating, and the effect of local topical anesthesia is poor; the airway is shared; and COPD patients have low oxygen reserves due to impaired lung function. At present, clinical anesthesia generally uses nasal cannula for oxygen inhalation. If the anesthesia is too shallow, it may cause airway spasm, and if the anesthesia is too deep, it will inhibit breathing and lead to hypoxia. Hypoxemia has been reported in 66% of COPD patients undergoing sedation for bronchoscopy. Therefore, solving hypoxia is the biggest problem in anesthesia for bronchoscopy diagnosis and treatment.

Pulmonary nodules are frequently found during low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) health screening. The main challenge is not only detecting nodules, but also recommending the appropriate next step, such as routine follow-up, short-interval imaging follow-up, or specialist evaluation. This multicenter cluster-randomized trial will evaluate whether an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted reporting workflow improves the appropriateness of pulmonary nodule management decisions in health examination settings without increasing under-management or missed referrals. Participating health examination branches, rather than individual participants, will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to a conventional reporting workflow or an AI-assisted reporting workflow. All final reports will be reviewed and signed by qualified physicians. An independent expert endpoint committee, blinded to study assignment and AI output, will determine the acceptable management range for each case. Approximately 2,000 adults with pulmonary nodules detected on LDCT will be included across at branches.

This single-center randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial will evaluate whether low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves postoperative inpatient sleep in adults undergoing elective thoracoscopic lung resection for primary lung cancer. A total of 220 participants will be assigned 1:1 to active or matched sham stimulation. Five sessions will be delivered during seven perioperative calendar days, with no more than one session per day. The primary outcome is each participant's mean Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) total score across postoperative inpatient nights 1-3, calculated from at least two eligible nights. Secondary outcomes include length of postoperative hospitalization, pain, quality of life, actigraphy-derived sleep, anxiety, depression, electroencephalographic measures, and safety.

The goal of this pragmatic clinical trial is to learn whether AI-based personalized digital management can help patients with high-risk pulmonary nodules complete appropriate follow-up care. The study will include adults aged 40 years or older whose pulmonary nodules were identified on chest CT scans already performed at the hospital for clinical care, health examinations, or other reasons. The hospital's AI-based lung nodule evaluation system will be used to identify nodules classified as high risk. Patients who have already completed follow-up or entered an active pulmonary nodule management pathway will not be included. The main question this study aims to answer is: \- Does personalized digital management increase the proportion of patients who complete appropriate pulmonary nodule follow-up within 16 weeks after randomization compared with usual care? Researchers will compare personalized digital management with usual care. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of the following groups: * The personalized digital management group will receive individualized information about the pulmonary nodule and recommendations for appropriate follow-up through the hospital's official WeChat account. * The usual care group will not receive the study-specific personalized digital message. Participants in both groups may continue to receive routine clinical care. Participants will: * Provide electronic informed consent * Answer a brief questionnaire about pulmonary nodule care received outside the hospital and selected health information, including smoking history * Continue their usual medical care * Allow researchers to review relevant hospital records to determine whether pulmonary nodule follow-up was completed The study will not arrange an additional initial chest CT solely for research purposes. Appropriate follow-up may include specialist evaluation, follow-up chest CT, PET/CT, tissue sampling, surgery, or a documented clinical decision that no further evaluation is needed. Researchers will also examine subsequent diagnostic procedures, lung cancer diagnoses, treatments, complications, and longer-term clinical outcomes.

This prospective multicenter observational study will evaluate whether an electronic nose that analyzes patterns in exhaled breath can be developed as a noninvasive tool for early risk prescreening across several disease areas. The study will enroll up to 20,000 adults from hospitals and health examination centers. It will first establish a standardized breath-sampling and quality-control procedure and assess repeatability across breathing maneuvers, devices, centers, and time. It will then develop and independently evaluate risk prescreening models for prespecified disease modules, including lung cancer/clinically significant pulmonary nodules, chronic respiratory diseases, and metabolic/endocrine diseases, with additional exploratory modules involving liver, kidney, cardiovascular, and systemic inflammatory/infectious/immune conditions. The electronic-nose results are for research only and will not be reported to participants or clinicians or used to change routine screening, diagnosis, or treatment. Disease reference status will be determined from examinations, laboratory tests, imaging, pathology, pulmonary function testing, specialist assessments, or follow-up that are already performed as part of routine care. The study will evaluate screening sensitivity, specificity, false-negative rate, predictive values, calibration, and performance across different centers, devices, and time periods.

This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial will evaluate whether low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve in-hospital sleep quality in adult lung transplant recipients during early postoperative recovery. A total of 152 participants with in-hospital sleep disturbance after first single- or double-lung transplantation will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to active rTMS or matched sham stimulation. Active rTMS will target the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and will be delivered once daily for 10 sessions within 10-14 days. The primary outcome is sleep quality measured using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire during the nights following stimulation sessions 8, 9, and 10. The study will also evaluate wearable-device sleep measures, insomnia symptoms, pain, mood, cognitive and functional outcomes, safety, feasibility, and changes in brain activity measured by 64-channel electroencephalography.

This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial will evaluate whether low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve in-hospital sleep quality in adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and clinically significant in-hospital sleep disturbance. A total of 160 participants with unresectable stage IIIB-IIIC or stage IV NSCLC, or recurrent NSCLC not suitable for curative local treatment, will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to active rTMS or matched sham stimulation. Active rTMS will target the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and will be delivered once daily for 10 sessions completed within 10-14 days. The primary outcome is sleep quality measured using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire during the nights following stimulation sessions 8, 9, and 10. The study will also evaluate wearable-device sleep measures, insomnia symptoms, pain and symptom burden, psychological symptoms, quality of life, safety, feasibility, and changes in brain activity measured by 64-channel electroencephalography.

This prospective, single-arm study will evaluate the feasibility, timeliness, operational reliability, and preliminary safety of transporting donor lungs by a long-range unmanned aircraft system from Nanning to Guangzhou, China. Adult lung transplant candidates will be enrolled after a donor lung has been legally allocated and clinically accepted and after written informed consent has been obtained. Each formally activated transport task will use standard donor-lung perfusion and cold preservation, triple sterile packaging, and a dedicated transport container with continuous monitoring of temperature, vibration, pressure, position, and communication status. The primary outcome is the actual door-to-door transport time from the donor operating room exit to the recipient operating room entry. Secondary outcomes include transport success, time saved compared with contemporaneous ground-transport estimates, lung preservation and ischemic times, transport-environment performance, donor-lung condition on arrival, and early recipient and graft outcomes through 90 days after transplantation. Twenty-five participants corresponding to 25 formally activated donor-lung transport tasks are planned.

This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether non-intubated spontaneous ventilation anesthesia (NISVA) supported by a supraglottic airway can reduce cardiopulmonary complications and promote postoperative recovery in adults undergoing isolated orthotopic heart transplantation. Approximately 220 participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the NISVA group or the conventional endotracheal general anesthesia group. The study will primarily evaluate a cardiopulmonary composite endpoint within 30 days after transplantation. Postoperative invasive mechanical ventilation duration, pulmonary function recovery, intensive care unit length of stay, and other postoperative recovery outcomes will also be assessed. Participants will be followed during hospitalization and at 30 days, 3 months, and 1 year after transplantation to evaluate cardiopulmonary function, safety, postoperative recovery, rehospitalization, and survival.

The goal of this prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical trial is to learn whether a nonintubated supraglottic airway anesthesia strategy with early restoration of spontaneous breathing can reduce postoperative pulmonary complications and improve early recovery in adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The main questions it aims to answer are whether, compared with conventional endotracheal fast-track anesthesia, the nonintubated strategy can reduce pulmonary complications within 30 days after surgery, reduce the need for postoperative invasive mechanical ventilation and other respiratory support, and shorten the time spent in the intensive care unit. Participants will be randomly assigned to undergo cardiac surgery using either a standardized nonintubated supraglottic airway anesthesia strategy with early restoration of spontaneous breathing or a conventional endotracheal fast-track anesthesia strategy. Both groups will receive standardized perioperative care, with objective criteria for airway removal and readiness for discharge from the intensive care unit. Endotracheal intubation or escalation of respiratory and circulatory support will be performed whenever clinically necessary. Participants will be followed from screening through hospitalization, at 30 days after surgery, and for up to 1 year. Routine perioperative data and key postoperative outcomes, including pulmonary complications, respiratory support, intensive care unit stay, major organ complications, safety events, recovery, rehospitalization, and survival, will be collected.

Kidney stones that are large or complex are often treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy, also called PCNL. Standard PCNL uses a larger access tract and is effective for removing complex kidney stones, but it may be associated with more bleeding, pain, and recovery burden. Modified mini-PCNL uses a smaller access tract and may reduce surgical trauma while maintaining a similar stone clearance rate. This multicenter randomized trial will compare modified mini-PCNL using a 20 Fr access sheath with standard PCNL using a 24 Fr access sheath in adults with complex renal stones. About 1,380 participants from 8 urology centers will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two procedures. The main purpose of the study is to determine whether modified mini-PCNL is not worse than standard PCNL in achieving stone-free status shortly after surgery. Stone-free status will be assessed by low-dose noncontrast CT within 72 hours after surgery. The study will also compare stone-free status at 3 months, complications, operation time, length of hospital stay, need for additional procedures, and quality of life.

This multicenter prospective cohort study will enroll adults who have undergone resection of a primary pulmonary nodule and have residual multiple pulmonary nodules or require routine postoperative pulmonary nodule follow-up. During clinically indicated follow-up visits, a small amount of peripheral venous blood will be collected at the same time as routine blood draws for research CyTOF immune phenotyping and viral imprinting-related serology. The study will not assign participants to treatment, change follow-up schedules, imaging, medication, surgery, or other clinical care. Research laboratory results will not be returned to participants or entered into medical records. The study will describe longitudinal peripheral immune-cell profiles and explore associations among T/B/NK cell phenotypes, T-cell differentiation and senescence/exhaustion markers, viral imprinting markers, and postoperative residual or new pulmonary nodule evolution.

This multicenter prospective cohort study will enroll adults who have undergone resection of a primary pulmonary nodule and have residual multiple pulmonary nodules or require routine postoperative pulmonary nodule follow-up. During clinically indicated follow-up visits, a small amount of peripheral venous blood will be collected at the same time as routine blood draws for research CyTOF immune phenotyping and viral imprinting-related serology. The study will not assign participants to treatment, change follow-up schedules, imaging, medication, surgery, or other clinical care. Research laboratory results will not be returned to participants or entered into medical records. The study will describe longitudinal peripheral immune-cell profiles and explore associations among T/B/NK cell phenotypes, T-cell differentiation and senescence/exhaustion markers, viral imprinting markers, and postoperative residual or new pulmonary nodule evolution.

This is a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study enrolling approximately 4,000 subjects across about 50 centers, including patients with COPD (confirmed and suspected), asthma (confirmed and suspected), bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease (ILD), upper airway obstruction (UAO), and healthy controls. Participants will undergo standardized clinical assessments, cough search, FENO, ETCO2, impulse oscillometry, spirometry, and/or bronchodilator test, and/or bronchoprovocation test, and/or diffusion capacity test at a single baseline visit, with no investigational intervention or treatment assignment. The primary objective is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of portable impulse oscillometry in Chronic respiratory diseases and to develop an artificial intelligence diagnostic model for COPD based on oscillometry. The study duration per subject is limited to the screening/baseline visit, with no follow-up visits planned.

This study will compare an intelligent pulmonary function exercise device with usual care and natural recovery in patients recovering from lung cancer surgery. After lung cancer surgery, many patients have reduced lung function, shortness of breath, lower exercise tolerance, and a risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Standard care usually includes postoperative nursing, pain control, coughing and sputum clearance instruction, early mobilization, discharge education, and routine follow-up. However, patients often lack structured guidance, feedback, and monitoring after discharge. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will use an intelligent pulmonary function exercise device for respiratory training during hospitalization and at home until 30 days after surgery. The prescribed training is two sessions per day, with each session including 30 expiratory training repetitions and 30 inspiratory training repetitions. The device records training completion and related training information and provides reminders and feedback. The other group will receive usual perioperative care, standard discharge education, and natural recovery follow-up without a study-specified respiratory training device or training prescription. The main purpose of the study is to determine whether the intelligent pulmonary function exercise device improves recovery of forced expiratory volume in 1 second, or FEV1, from before surgery to 30 days after surgery. The study will also evaluate lung function at 90 days, symptoms, quality of life, walking capacity, training adherence, and postoperative complications.

This study is a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a multimodal artificial intelligence (AI)-guided postoperative recovery management system in patients after lung cancer surgery. Eligible patients will be enrolled after surgery when their clinical condition is stable and will be randomly assigned to either an AI-guided recovery management group or a usual postoperative care group. Patients in the AI-guided group will receive usual postoperative care plus a multimodal AI-based recovery management system. The system will collect patient-reported symptoms, vital signs, physical activity, respiratory rehabilitation information, recovery-related data, and, when needed, wound or chest-related images or short videos. Based on these data, the system will provide recovery feedback, general nursing advice, respiratory rehabilitation reminders, activity guidance, and risk stratification alerts. For red-flag symptoms or high-risk conditions, the system will advise patients to contact the clinical team or seek medical care. Patients in the usual-care group will receive standard postoperative management after lung cancer surgery and will complete symptom assessments at the same prespecified time points, but they will not receive AI-generated individualized recovery feedback or AI-generated risk alerts. The primary outcome is the number of MDASI-LC-derived target symptom threshold events within 30 days after surgery. Target symptoms include pain, fatigue, disturbed sleep, shortness of breath, and cough. Secondary outcomes include overall target symptom burden, quality of recovery, time to recovery to a mild-symptom state, functional interference, respiratory rehabilitation adherence, physical activity adherence, unplanned healthcare utilization, pulmonary complications, and unplanned readmission.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Lifei Qingchang Granules in the treatment of patients with stable bronchiectasis. This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Researchers plan to enroll a total of 150 adult participants (aged 18-75) who have been diagnosed with stable bronchiectasis and experience at least one acute exacerbation in the past 12 months. Participants will be randomly assigned into two groups in a 1:1 ratio: * The treatment group will receive Lifei Qingchang Granules along with standard postural drainage therapy. * The control group will receive a matching placebo along with standard postural drainage therapy. The treatment period will last for 3 months. The main goal is to see if the treatment can improve patients' respiratory symptoms and overall quality of life.

Patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases remain a major clinical challenge. Although EGFR-TKIs have demonstrated intracranial activity, disease control is still suboptimal in some patients. Limertinib (ASK120067) is a novel third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor with favorable central nervous system penetration and encouraging intracranial antitumor activity. The potential synergistic effect of limertinib combined with radiotherapy warrants further investigation. This prospective, multicenter, single-arm phase II study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line limertinib combined with radiotherapy in this patient population.

This is a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at a single center. The study aims to evaluate whether a "tubeless" strategy can enhance recovery for patients undergoing minimally invasive thoracoscopic sublobar resection (wedge or segment resection) for small lung nodules. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: * The experimental group will receive the "tubeless" strategy, which includes non-endotracheal intubation anesthesia (using a laryngeal mask) and no routine chest tube drainage after surgery. * The control group will receive the traditional strategy, which includes double-lumen endotracheal intubation anesthesia and routine chest tube drainage. The main goal is to compare the rate of achieving high-quality fast-track recovery at 24 hours after surgery between the two groups. This study will provide evidence on whether the tubeless approach can help patients recover faster and more comfortably without compromising safety.

This is a large clinical study that compares two different types of anesthesia for patients undergoing a specific kind of minimally invasive lung surgery (thoracoscopic sublobar resection) to remove small, early-stage lung nodules. The study aims to find out if a newer anesthesia method, known as "non-intubated anesthesia" (where patients breathe on their own with the help of a laryngeal mask airway and nerve blocks for pain control), is as safe as the traditional "intubated anesthesia" (which uses a breathing tube and a machine to breathe for the patient). The main goals of the study are, in order: 1. Safety First: To confirm that the non-intubated method does not lead to more lung complications within 30 days after surgery compared to the traditional method. 2. Effectiveness: If it is proven safe, the study will then check if patients receiving the non-intubated anesthesia have a better quality of recovery in the first 24 hours after surgery (e.g., less pain, fewer side effects like a sore throat, and a faster return to normal activities). Approximately 1600 patients from multiple hospitals will be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to receive one of the two anesthesia methods. Neither the patients nor the surgeons will be told which group the patient is in when assessing the main outcomes after surgery, to ensure the results are fair and unbiased. The results of this study will provide high-quality evidence to help doctors and patients choose the best and most comfortable anesthesia option for this type of lung surgery.

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a predefined hybrid treatment strategy in patients with multiple pulmonary nodules who require surgical management of at least one dominant lesion. The strategy combines robot-assisted CT-guided percutaneous ablation and/or localization with non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (NiVATS) performed during the same hospitalization. The main questions this study aims to answer are: Is the hybrid treatment strategy associated with an acceptable rate of perioperative serious complications? Can the planned combination of robot-assisted percutaneous intervention and NiVATS be completed successfully in a real-world clinical setting? Participants will: Undergo preoperative evaluation and multidisciplinary assessment; Receive robot-assisted CT-guided percutaneous ablation and/or localization for selected pulmonary nodules; Undergo non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for resection of the dominant pulmonary lesion; Be followed for perioperative outcomes and short-term recovery up to 30 days after surgery.

Brief Summary The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and recovery outcomes of different tubeless strategies in adult patients undergoing uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) wedge resection who are confirmed to have no persistent air leak intraoperatively. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does double intraoperative aspiration tubeless strategy reduce the rate of postoperative pleural re-intervention within 30 days compared with single intraoperative aspiration tubeless strategy? Do different intraoperative pleural space management strategies affect early postoperative recovery quality and pain? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare conventional chest tube drainage, single intraoperative aspiration tubeless, and double intraoperative aspiration tubeless strategies to determine their effects on postoperative pleural re-intervention and recovery outcomes. Participants will: Undergo uniportal VATS wedge resection Receive a standardized intraoperative air leak test before chest closure Be randomly assigned intraoperatively to one of three pleural space management strategies Complete postoperative assessments including chest imaging, pain evaluation, and recovery quality questionnaires Be followed for 30 days after surgery for safety outcomes

The goal of this prospective, multicenter, single-arm clinical study is to learn whether a spontaneous breathing-preserving perioperative management strategy can improve recovery and is safe in lung transplant recipients with very low body weight (body mass index \[BMI\] \<16 kg/m²). The main questions it aims to answer are whether, in lung transplant recipients with very low body weight (BMI \<16 kg/m²), a spontaneous breathing-preserving anesthesia-surgical strategy combined with standardized nutritional optimization and a prehabilitation program can improve early postoperative recovery and perioperative survival. Specifically, the study will assess the proportion of participants who require postoperative invasive mechanical ventilation, postoperative length of hospital stay, and perioperative survival within the protocol-defined time window (e.g., through hospital discharge). Participants will undergo lung transplantation using a perioperative strategy that preserves spontaneous breathing whenever clinically appropriate, with predefined criteria for conversion to endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation if needed. They will receive standard postoperative monitoring and supportive care, with respiratory support events and perioperative complications assessed during the index hospitalization (and up to 30 days after surgery, if specified in the protocol). Key outcomes will be collected from routine clinical care, including postoperative ventilatory support status, length of hospital stay, and major safety events.

The goal of this study is to learn whether a spontaneous-breathing ("tubeless") anesthesia and surgery strategy can improve early recovery and remain safe for adults who receive a lung transplant. This strategy aims to help lung transplant recipients maintain spontaneous breathing as much as possible during and after surgery, avoid tracheal intubation with invasive mechanical ventilation and deep sedation, and thereby support faster recovery while maintaining postoperative survival and safety. All participants will receive lung transplantation supported by the same spontaneous-breathing ("tubeless") strategy. Researchers plan to enroll about 110 participants at several hospitals in China. A separate study team will review the main outcomes using predefined study rules. The main questions this study aims to answer are: The main questions this study aims to answer are: among adult lung transplant recipients, does an anesthesia-surgical strategy that preserves spontaneous breathing improve early postoperative recovery while remaining safe during the first 30 days after surgery? The study will focus on the need for postoperative invasive mechanical ventilation, length of postoperative hospital stays, and in-hospital mortality. Participants will: Complete screening tests and assessments before surgery (up to about 30 days before the transplant). Undergo lung transplantation using a standardized approach that aims to keep spontaneous breathing function, often using a laryngeal mask airway instead of a breathing tube. Receive pain and cough control measures (such as local anesthesia or nerve block anesthesia) and close monitoring during and after surgery. Receive standard postoperative care. If safety concerns arise, the clinical team will use invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation when needed. Be followed during the hospital stay and for 90 days after surgery to record recovery, complications, and readmissions.

The goal of this prospective, multicenter, single-arm clinical study is to learn whether a breathing-preserved anesthesia-surgical strategy can improve early recovery and perioperative survival in adults undergoing rescue/bridge lung transplantation. The main questions it aims to answer are whether, in adult rescue lung transplant recipients, a breathing-preserved anesthesia-surgical strategy can improve early postoperative recovery and perioperative survival, with a focus on the need for postoperative invasive mechanical ventilation, postoperative length of hospital stay, and perioperative survival outcomes. Participants will undergo lung transplantation using a standardized breathing-preserved anesthesia-surgical pathway, with predefined criteria for conversion to endotracheal intubation and/or initiation or escalation of extracorporeal support when clinically necessary. Participants will receive standardized perioperative care per each participating center's transplant pathways and will be followed from screening through hospital discharge and up to 30 days after surgery. Routine perioperative data and key postoperative outcomes, including major complications (e.g., graft dysfunction, respiratory support events, infections, bleeding requiring re-intervention, acute kidney injury, rejection, and thrombotic events), will be collected.