Serial Daily Diaphragm Ultrasounds in Ventilated Patients

Muscle Atrophy or Weakness Clinical Trial

Official title: Serial Ultrasonographic Evaluation Of Diaphragm Thickness During Mechanical Ventilation In ICU Patients

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

When a person is put on a breathing machine the investigators think that the breathing muscles can get weaker. The investigators are not sure how quickly this happens but in some people this leads to problems when they try to breathe on their own without the breathing machine. The diaphragm is at the bottom of a person's chest separating their lungs from what is in their belly and it is a very strong muscle. In fact, it is main muscle that one uses for breathing.

An ultrasound machine is a painless way to see what is happening beneath the skin. It is safe and easy to do. Using an ultrasound the investigators are planning to measure how thick the diaphragm is and how much it changes while a person is on a breathing machine in the ICU.

Getting a better understanding of this condition could lead to improved treatments that might help support patients who require a ventilator for breathing.

The investigators hypothesis is that patients for whom the breathing machine is doing all of the work of breathing, will have their diaphragm thickness gradually decrease and changing to a breathing modem mode where they have to put in more effort the diaphragm thickness will start increasing again.

Clinical Trial Description

The investigators propose to expand the investigators single-centre longitudinal pilot study into a complete study in which the investigators will use B-mode ultrasonography to evaluate daily changes in diaphragm thickness in all critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) until successful weaned from MV. The impact of patient age, co-morbidities, and the use of various modes of ventilation on diaphragm thickness will be assessed. Diaphragmatic thickness and its change from baseline will be evaluated as predictors of the need for a prolonged wean (>7days).

The investigators hypothesize that in patients on mandatory mode ventilation, diaphragmatic thickness will progressively decrease. Switching from mandatory to assisted breathing modes will correlate with increases in diaphragmatic thickness. ;

Study Design

Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Prospective

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Lung Injury
• Muscle Atrophy or Weakness
• Muscular Atrophy
• Ventilator-associated Lung Injury

• NCT number: NCT02174029
• Study type: Observational
• Source: Fraser Health
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 2014
• Completion date: September 2014