Clinical Research Directory

An International Survey on the Use of NIV Outside the ICU

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a way to support breathing using a mask or helmet instead of a breathing tube, and it is proven to reduce the need for intubation, save lives, shorten hospital stays, and lower costs. While NIV has long been used in intensive care units, it is now increasingly applied in emergency rooms, hospital wards, and long-term care facilities. However, global data on how it is used outside ICUs-such as which patients receive it, how well it works, and what barriers exist-is lacking. The NIV-Safety Study is a worldwide survey of doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists to understand current practices, outcomes, and challenges of NIV use beyond the ICU. The findings aim to guide safer, more effective, and standardized use of NIV across different healthcare settings.

Turkish Validity and Reliability of the Behavioral Indicators of Pain Scale(ESCID)

A significant proportion of patients hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) require mechanical ventilation, and the treatments applied during this process may cause pain. Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Although it is associated with delirium and agitation, pain is often an overlooked symptom in ICU patients, and a large proportion of mechanically ventilated patients continue to experience moderate to severe pain. The most common type of pain in critically ill patients is nociceptive pain, which may result from invasive procedures such as tracheal intubation, catheter insertion, aspiration, wound care, and patient repositioning. Additionally, the noisy and unfamiliar ICU environment and patients' inability to express themselves may further increase the perception of pain. Regular assessment of pain is associated with many positive outcomes, including more effective pain management, appropriate use of analgesic and sedative medications, and shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay. Although self-reporting of pain is considered the gold standard, many patients receiving mechanical ventilation are unable to communicate their pain. Therefore, various behavioral pain assessment scales are used to evaluate pain in ICU patients. One of these tools is the Behavioral Indicators of Pain Scale (Escala de Conductas Indicadoras de Dolor - ESCID), which was developed to assess pain in critically ill adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation who are unable to communicate. However, a Turkish version of this scale has not yet been developed. Therefore, the aim of this study is to translate the ESCID scale into Turkish, perform its cultural adaptation, and test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version.

An Investigation of The Relationship Between Muscle Mass, Physiological Parameters, and Blood Gas Levels in Adult Patients Hospitalized in The Intensive Care Unit

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between muscle mass and physiological parameters and blood gas values in adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit. While muscle mass will be determined using anthropometric measurements, SpO₂, pulse rate, blood pressure, diuresis, and arterial blood gas values will be evaluated. The primary hypothesis of the study is that there is a significant relationship between muscle mass and, in particular, oxygenation and other physiological and blood gas parameters.

PERMISSive Lung-protective Ventilation RCT

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.

The Impact of Professional Holistic Competence, Professional Pride, and Organizational Spirituality on Quiet Quitting Among Intensive Care Nurses

The study aims to examine the impact of professional holistic competence, pride, and organizational spirituality on quiet quitting among intensive care nurses.

PRotEin Provision in Critical IllneSs -2

When patients survive a life-threatening condition in the intensive care unit (ICU), they often face a prolonged recovery process marked by persistent health issues that significantly reduce their quality of life. Muscle weakness is the most defining feature of this post-intensive care syndrome. This weakness, along with the associated decline in quality of life, presents major challenges for patients, their families, and the healthcare system, including the high costs of long-term care. Until recently, it was believed that providing additional nutrition-particularly protein-during the early phase of a critical illness could help prevent muscle loss and promote recovery. However, the recent PRECISe study showed that administering a high amount of protein (target: 2 g/kg per day) via feeding tube actually worsened outcomes: patients who received high-protein nutrition during the acute phase reported a lower quality of life over the six months following ICU admission and were discharged from the hospital later. These findings from the PRECISe study have renewed attention on the amount of protein administered to critically ill patients. Current European ICU nutrition guidelines (1.3 g/kg per day) recommend a higher protein intake than the daily recommended amount for healthy individuals (0.8 g/kg per day). However, in critically ill patients, protein metabolism may be impaired, potentially leading to the accumulation of toxic protein breakdown products and hindering recovery, ultimately resulting in a lower quality of life. Reducing protein intake below the level recommended for healthy individuals during the acute phase of a life-threatening illness-while maintaining total energy intake (calories)-may be beneficial for long-term recovery and rehabilitation. The PRECISe-2 study investigates whether patients who receive less protein (0.6-0.8 g/kg per day) but sufficient energy during the early phase of their critical illness feel better and experience a higher quality of life in the long term compared to those who receive the standard amount of protein (1.3 g/kg per day).

Early Corticosteroids in Severe Influenza Pneumonia

This is a Phase III, multicentre, randomized, controlled, double-blind, superiority trial aiming to evaluate the efficacy of dexamethasone versus placebo in patients admitted to intensive care or intermediate care with influenza and hypoxemic acute respiratory failure. Patients will receive state-of-the-art standard therapy for severe influenza. They will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of the two arms. Patients, investigators and care providers will be blinded to the patient arm. Patients will receive antiviral treatment and antibiotic therapy if bacterial co-infection is suspected. All clinical interventions such as use of ventilatory strategy, laboratory tests, and hemodynamic management will be left at the discretion of the team in both arms. Special attention will be given to the prompt diagnosis and management of aspergillosis, with investigators provided with decision support tools and algorithms based on the most recent definition (i.e., FUNDICU). Patients will be followed for up to 28 days after enrolment and national registries will be used for 90-day vital status assessment. Telephone calls will be made on day 90 to assess quality of life.

Implementation of Networked Continuous Glucose Monitoring With Telemetry Within the Intensive Care Unit (ICU-TeleCGM)

The aim of this observational study is to assess safety and implementation of continuous glucose monitors within the Intensive Care Unit. The Dexcom G7 is a continuous glucose monitoring system that shows blood glucose values in real-time and includes alarms if the glucose is very low or high.

Tracheostomy Practice in Adult Intensive Care Units

ON TRACH is an international, multicentre, observational study with the aim of characterising the timing and practice of tracheostomy insertion, management, weaning and longer-term outcomes of these patients, in intensive care units internationally. Participating intensive care units (ICU) will recruit all consecutive patients undergoing tracheostomy insertion over a 12 week period, aiming for broad global representation. This will allow identification of variation in care of patients with a tracheostomy in the intensive care and it's origin, to drive improvement and enhance safety and outcomes for patients with a tracheostomy in the future.

Supply Induced Demand in Intensive Care Unit: a Retrospective Trial

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) represents a high-level healthcare and expensive resource in hospitals. The causes of hospitalization in critical care are therefore multiple, and over the years numerous prognostic scores have been proposed, which therefore correlate the severity of the pathology with the predicted mortality from a statistical point of view. The function of the scores is also to assist the physician in clinical choices. The two most frequently used prognostic scores in critical care are the Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II. The choice to admit a patient to Intensive Care, therefore, is a clinical, economic and managerial choice. Due to the costs of the ICU beds, as well as to the fact that shortage of beds may have a significant clinical impact on patients, many studies addressed the issue of supply-induced scarcity (SIS), i.e. scarcity due to a lack of supply and not to an excess of demand. On the other side, Health Economics has demonstrated that often an increase in supply can generate an increase in demand, even when this increase is not strictly necessary or appropriate. This phenomenon, called supply-induced demand (SID), to the best of our knowledge, few studies have been conducted in critical care settings; moreover, the correlation between SID and outcomes, specifically mortality, has never been demonstrated. The aim of this retrospective, single-center study, therefore, is to investigate the presence of SID, and the consequent effects on mortality outcome, in a multispecialty Postoperative Intensive Care Unit.

Predictors of Sleep Quality in Patients Undergoing Open-Heart Surgery

Sleep quality is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon shaped by the interaction of patient characteristics, symptom burden, and environmental factors specific to the intensive care unit environment. Despite this multidimensional nature, studies identifying predictors of sleep quality in intensive care units after cardiac surgery are limited.

Whole-Body Vibration Versus Neuro Muscular Electrical Stimulation on Patients With ICU Acquired Weakness

Purpose: to investigate the effect of Whole-body vibration versus neuro-muscular electrical stimulation on patients with intensive care-acquired weakness. Methods: Sixty patients with Intensive Care Unit-acquired weakness (ICU AW) from both genders will be recruited and randomly assigned into two groups, Group A and Group B. Group A will include 30 patients who will practice Whole body vibration for two weeks twice daily in addition to their plan of treatment. Group B will include 30 patients who will receive neuromuscular electrical stimulation for two weeks, twice daily, in addition to their plan of treatment. All patients will be evaluated pre- and post-treatment for the MRC score, creatine phosphokinase, and total muscle strength and skeletal muscle thickness

Effects of PERMISSive Lung-protective Ventilation on Outcome in Critically Ill Invasively Ventilated Patients

RATIONALE Lung-protective ventilation using a lower respiratory rate (RR) is an appealing strategy to reduce ventilation intensity, which may require permissive hypercapnia. However, the feasibility and safety of this so-called 'permissive lung-protective ventilation' must be investigated, before conducting a large randomized clinical trial to evaluate its effectiveness on patient-centered outcomes. OBJECTIVE To study the feasibility and safety of permissive lung-protective ventilation in adult critically ill patients receiving invasive ventilation for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, and to inform the design of a future randomized clinical trial in this patient population. HYPOTHESIS Permissive lung-protective ventilation is a feasible and safe ventilation strategy. STUDY DESIGN Multicenter, randomized clinical pilot trial. STUDY POPULATION Critically ill patients, aged \> 18 years, intubated for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, and expected to receive ventilation for \> 24 hours. METHODS Patients are randomized to permissive lung-protective ventilation wherein RR is stepwise reduced, or to conventional lung-protective ventilation. OUTCOME MEASURES The primary endpoint is feasibility, assessed by the difference in respiratory rate (RR) between the two groups, from the start of mechanical ventilation until first extubation. Secondary endpoints include protocol compliance and feasibility of collecting data, and safety, assessed by the occurrence of unacceptable hypercapnia and hypoxemia and the incidence of ventilator-associated complications SAMPLE SIZE To estimate the appropriate sample size for this pilot study, we considered the primary feasibility endpoint of detecting a difference in the respiratory rate (RR). Assuming an expected mean difference in RR of 7.5, based on previous studies \[1, 2\], with an SD of 10, a power of 90% and an alpha of 0.05, with a drop-out rate estimated at 10%, a two-tailed t-test was used. The required sample size is 84 patients (42 patients per group). NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE BURDEN AND RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPATION, BENEFIT AND GROUP RELATEDNESS Ventilation with a lower RR may require permissive hypercapnia, which, when kept within safe limits, is safe. In current daily practice, there is no guidance in setting RR; consequently, RR varies widely across patients and is often set high. This pilot study compares two forms of lung-protective ventilation, both considered standard care in current ICU practice. The control group receives conventional ventilation with low tidal volumes and high RR to maintain normal PaCO₂ and pH. The intervention group, permissive ventilation, uses a lower RR to reduce mechanical power, accepting mild hypercapnia and acidosis. Permissive ventilation is most often reserved for patients with severe lung conditions, where ventilator settings are more complex and ventilation intensity is high. In these patients, permissive ventilation is considered safe, and may even be beneficial. We aim to evaluate this strategy more broadly in critically ill patients. The collection of demographic, ventilation and outcome data causes no harm to patients. Blood is drawn for arterial blood gas analysis, but this is also part of standard care.

Training Program to Improve EEG Competence

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the extent to which a practice-oriented training program for intensive care nursing staff and non-physician treatment teams can contribute to the earlier detection of epileptic seizures, with particular emphasis on SE. Further objectives include enhancing competence in EEG interpretation and minimizing existing communication and procedural barriers within the interdisciplinary treatment team. Participants will participate in a half-day training session, which will include: * attending a specialist lecture, * completing two knowledge assessments and one evaluation questionnaire, * completing an additional brief evaluation questionnaire after one month, and * completing a further brief evaluation questionnaire after three months to assess the sustainability of the learning outcomes.

Intensive Care Outcome Prediction Using Admission Carbohydrate-deficient Transferrin

The goal of this observational study is to learn whether hazardous alcohol consumption, measured objectively by carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) levels at intensive care unit (ICU) admission, is associated with worse outcomes in critically ill patients. The main question it aims to answer is: Do elevated CDT levels at ICU admission predict increased short-term mortality and adverse clinical outcomes in adult non-traumatic ICU patients? Participants admitted to the intensive care unit via the emergency department will have CDT levels measured as part of the study. Researchers will then collect and analyze clinical data, including mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, delirium, ICU length of stay, renal replacement therapy, and ICU readmission rates, during hospitalization and follow-up.

Evaluate the Performance of the Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System in Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery and Solid Organ Transplantation Which Require Blood Glucose Monitoring for Intensive Insulin Therapy.

Main objective: The goal is to to determine the accuracy of Dexcom G7 Continuous glucose monitor system in critically ill patients, undergoing major abdominal surgery and solid organ transplantation, in the intensive care unit. On admission to the intensive care unit or at the end of surgery, two Dexcom G7 sensors are placed in the infraclavicular position. Sensor number 1 will be blinded and will only be active when paired with the receiver, without the ability to monitor glucose levels. Sensor number 2 is used for continuous glucose monitoring and can be used to adjust the insulin dose. Patients will wear the continuous glucose monitoring sensor for a maximum of 10 days, including the time spent in the intensive care unit and the immediate care unit. The study will not interfere with any usual care clinical workflows. Calibration is only performed on an unblinded sensor. The reference method for calibration is the glucose from the blood glucose meter. Calibrate on the first day of monitoring: 4 times a day after approximately 6 hours, or if the blood glucose reading from the blood glucose meter is not within the estimated error range of the continuous glucose monitor (difference greater than 1,5mmol/L). Calibration on days 2 and 3 of monitoring: once in the morning, or when the meter's glucose reading is not within the estimated error range of the continuous glucose monitoring (difference greater than 1,5mmol/L) On subsequent days when the blood glucose meter reading is not within the estimated error range of continuous glucose monitoring (difference greater than 1,5mmol/L). Hypothesis: * Ho: No difference in mean absolute relative difference (MARD) between calibrated and non-calibrated sensors. * Ha: Calibrated sensors have lower mean absolute relative difference (δ = 4%, SD = 5%). Further objectives: To evaluate further aspects regarding the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor system's performance in the intensive care unit (ICU), particularly in terms of sensitivity and specificity to detect hypo- and hyperglycaemic events, data availability, device deficiencies and safety. To identify predictive factors of the accuracy of the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor system in critically ill patients in the ICU.

Factor Associated With Mortality in the ICU

ICU mortality indicates the severity of disease, healthcare quality, and the efficacy of interventions. The severity scores are tools to predict the risk of mortality in the ICU, and the APACHE II score is frequently used for this purpose. However, studies validating the score in Colombia are limited. There is uncertainty about the precision and discrimination capacity of the APACHE II score in a population that varies from the original, with varying diseases, and in a different timeline. The investigators determined to evaluate: 1. Evaluate the rate of mortality in the ICU by type of disease and type of admission. 2. The factors associated with mortality. 3. Validate the performance of the APACHE II score as a predictor of mortality.

Impact of Infusion Line Change Frequency on Infectious Complications Related to Central Venous Catheters in the ICU - A Randomized Controlled Trial

In the intensive care unit, patients' care and secure drugs administration require a central venous catheter. These invasive devices can lead to complications, particularly infections. Most preventive recommendations focus on catheter insertion, line handling, and dressings. Few recommendations adress catheter dwell time, which is certainly the main source of infection. Part of the prevention strategy is the regular and systematic replacement of infusion sets , as they may become contaminated during use, mainly through the hands of healthcare professionals. Prolonged use increases the risk of infection. Infusion lines changes involve disconnecting the old sets, discarding infusion devices containing drug residues, and replacing them with new sterile devices. Current international guidelines recommend replacing these sets every 4 days, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not exceeding 7 days. Replacing these devices requires the time of qualified nurses, numerous sterile medical devices, and medications. In addition to the intended effect on infection prevention, the procedure has impacts on workload and costs. The objective of the study is to demonstrate that changing infusion set every 7 days does not increase the rate of central venous catheters related infections compared with changing infusion set every 4 days.

Feasibility of Protocolised Analgosedation in ECMO

Sedation (painkillers and sedative drugs) treats pain, reduces suffering, and helps patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remain comfortable. ECMO is a life support machine that provides oxygen and removes waste gases (carbon dioxide) in very sick patients with severe heart or lung failure. About 300-400 patients per year receive ECMO in the UK. These patients are younger and generally more healthy compared to other critically ill patients. However patients that survive ECMO have long-term health problems. These include anxiety, memory problems, withdrawal from medicines, and mobility issues. These problems issues could all be related to the type and amount of sedation given. A sedation protocol is a way of guiding healthcare professionals how much sedation is given to patients in ICU. Too much sedation can cause confusion, hallucinations, excessive sleepiness, and longer time in hospital. Too little sedation can cause pain, distress, and also a longer time in hospital. Using a sedation protocol in non-ECMO patients has been shown to reduce these complications. However, there are no protocols for giving sedation to ECMO patients in research papers. Investigators know healthcare staff find it difficult to manage sedation, and higher amounts of sedation is given to ECMO patients. Aims: To see whether it is possible to run a trial that compares using a sedation protocol against usual care. Design/methods: Thirty to 60 ECMO patients will be chosen and will be put into one of two groups. One group will receive usual care, and the other will receive care using the sedation protocol. The investigators will collect information from both groups to find out if the study design works and how many patients agree to take part. Patient and public involvement/engagement: The investigators received feedback from patients and family member participants which helped to design this proposal, the lay summary and what to measure in a trial. They will advise how the investigators should review study findings, and support sharing of results to the public. Impact/dissemination: The investigators will share findings through social media, patient charities, research papers and conferences.

Pre-ICU Hospital Length of Stay and 30-day Mortality in the Very Old: a National Cohort of 315 042 ICU Admissions

How does waiting in hospital before intensive care affect older patients?Patients who become seriously ill are sometimes admitted to a regular hospital ward first, and only transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) when their condition worsens. The longer this wait, the higher the risk of dying within the following weeks. The number of very old patients (aged 80 and over) considered for ICU care is rising, and decisions about whether and when to admit them are difficult. It is not known whether the wait before ICU matters as much in this age group as in younger patients, or whether it carries different weight when judging how serious their illness is. Over 315,000 adults admitted to Swedish ICUs between 2005 and 2016 were examined, and statistical models were used to estimate how the risk of dying within 30 days depends on age and on the time spent in hospital before reaching the ICU.

EARLY Antibiotics aDAptation in Severe Pneumonia(The EARLY ADAPT Study)

The objective of the study is to determine whether rapid multiplex PCR testing of respiratory samples can reduce exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics in intensive care unit patients with suspected or confirmed ventilator-associated pneumonia, compared to standard diagnostic methods. As secondary objectives, the investigators will study antibiotic management and overall antibiotic consumption, as well as escalation or de-escalation events. The investigators will study the potential clinical impact of using multiplex PCR to see if the length of stay in the intensive care unit is reduced, as well as the duration of mechanical ventilation.

The Effect of an Suction Toothbrush on the Development of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Literature suggests that suction toothbrushes may improve oral care in intubated patients by facilitating secretion removal and reducing microaspiration. This could decrease the need for endotracheal suctioning and lower the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of a suction toothbrush on the development of VAP in intubated patients.

ICU Environmental Noise and Healthcare Workers

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the effects of environmental noise in the intensive care unit on healthcare workers. Healthcare personnel working in intensive care units and hospital wards will be compared in terms of cochlear function, noise sensitivity, anxiety levels, perceived noise burden, and functional effects of noise exposure. The study seeks to determine whether long-term occupational exposure to intensive care unit noise is associated with measurable auditory and non-auditory effects in healthcare workers.

Investigation of the Relationship Between MD, MLR and NLR With APRs in Sepsis in the ICU

The aim of this study is to investigate, in patients admitted to the intensive care unit either for reasons other than sepsis who subsequently develop sepsis or with a primary diagnosis of sepsis, whether monocyte distribution, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio can be used in addition to conventional biomarkers, and to examine their relationships with these biomarkers.