View clinical trials related to Critical Illness.
Filter by:Critical illnesses represent a significant physiological assault that triggers changes in the patient's immune system, resulting in an immunopotentiating response (systemic inflammatory response syndrome, SIRS) and an immunosuppressive response (compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome, CARS). The balance between SIRS and CARS is essential for the patient to return to a state of immune homeostasis and accelerate the healing process. However, when CARS is disproportionately intense, it leads to a state of immunoparalysis, which predisposes the patient to vulnerability to opportunistic infections, associated with a peak in late mortality. The majority of patients admitted to the ICU are considered immunocompetent. However, the investigators suspect that a significant proportion of them exhibit predominance of CARS and a state of functional immunosuppression. There is currently no diagnostic test to determine whether a patient is functionally immunocompetent at a specific point in time. The goal of this observational study is to learn about the immune system dysfunction occurring in critical illness. The main questions it aims to answer are: - What is the prevalence of immune system dysfunction in critical illness? - Does immune system dysfunction affect multiple organ failure trajectory and mortality in critical illness? - Is immune system dysfunction related to an increased risk of opportunistic hospital-acquired infections in critical illness? - Is immune system dysfunction related to age, fragility, nutritional status or previous comorbidities in critical illness? To answer these questions, the investigators will prospectively study a population of critically ill patients, defined by the presence of organ failure. The investigators will analyse a panel of genes and molecules involved in immunological synapse, using peripheral blood samples at different moments of the evolution of critical illness. Based on the analysis, the investigators will classify the patients' functional immune status and correlate it with the outcomes.
Getting the right dose of antibiotic promptly is an important part of treating infections. Unfortunately, when an infection is severe (sepsis) the body changes how it processes antibiotics. Consequently, some people with severe infection retain antibiotics for too long (risking adverse effects), whilst others excrete antibiotics too quickly (risking under-treatment). Mathematical models can help researchers understand drug handling variability (known as pharmacokinetics) between people. These models require very accurate information about drug administration and drug blood concentration timings. Researchers usually rely on someone recording these timings, but recording errors can make models inaccurate. We would like to understand if using data from routinely used electronic drug infusion devices (recording the exact time of administration) can improve the accuracy of pharmacokinetic models. We intend to investigate this with an antibiotic (vancomycin) that clinicians already routinely monitor blood concentrations for. Adults and children treated at St George's Hospital intensive care units will be invited to participate in the study which will last for 28-days within a 14-month period. Participants will donate a small amount of extra blood and provide researchers access to their clinical data. Blood will be taken at special times during vancomycin treatment from lines placed as part of standard treatment, minimising any pain or distress. There will be no other changes to patient's treatment. In the future, data from this study might help change the way we dose antibiotics. The National Institute for Health and Care Research and Pharmacy Research UK are supporting the study with funding.
There are no clear international guidelines for dosing vitamin D based on deficiency severity. Therefore, a new clinical trial is needed to evaluate the benefits of early vitamin D supplementation in maintaining sufficient levels for critically ill patients. The investigators conducted a multicenter clinical trial in Taiwan focusing on vitamin D and critically ill patients. 240 patients with low calcidiol levels will be enrolled and be provided varying supplementation doses to maintain their serum calcidiol levels ≥ 30 ng/mL within 30 days of ICU admission. The results will serve as a valuable reference for intensivists when formulating appropriate vitamin D treatment strategy to maximize clinical benefits for critically ill patients.
The goal of this RCT is to compare the effectiveness of aminophylline and furosemide combination vs furosemide alone in producing effective diuresis in critically ill adults in ICU. ICU patients with the need of improved diuresis will be recruited and given either infusion of aminophylline and furosemide combination or furosemide alone, and their hourly urine output will be monitored to compare their effectiveness.
Background: Staffing in intensive care units (ICU) has been in the spotlight since the pandemic. Having enough nurses to deliver safe, quality care in ICU is important. However, what the skill mix should be (how many should be qualified nurses or have an ICU qualification) is unclear. Very little research has been done to look at which nursing staff combinations and mix of skills works best in ICU to support patients (described as 'staffing models').Research shows that there is a link between the quality of nurse staffing and poor patient outcomes, including deaths. Aim: Our research plans to look at different staffing models across the UK. This study aims to examine new staffing models in ICU across six very different Trusts. This study will use a research technique called Realist Evaluation that examines what works best in different situations and help to understand why some things work for some people and not others. The design of this approach will help to better understand the use of different staff ratios across different ICU settings. This study will examine what combinations of staff numbers and skills result in better patient care and improved survival rates. The aim is to produce a template that every ICU unit can use. To do this, this study will compare staffing levels with how well patients recover, and seek to understand the decisions behind staffing combinations. Methods: This study will: 1. carry out a national survey to understand the different staff models being used, comparing this against the current national standard (n=294 ICUs in the UK including Scotland) 2. observe how people at work in 6 hospitals (called ethnography), watching how they make decisions around staffing and the effect on patients. The investigators will also conduct interviews (30 interviews plus 30 ethnographic observations) to understand staffing decisions. 3. look at ICU staffing patterns and models, and linked patient outcomes (such as whether people survive ICU) over 3 years (2019-2023) in those hospitals, including with a very different combination of staffing). The investigators will then carry out some mathematical calculations to understand the best possible staffing combinations, and how this varies.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate nutrition administration in the time around the tracheostomy in patients with breathing tubes. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Will continuing nutrition up to the time of surgery (tracheostomy) decrease nutrition interruptions, thereby increasing food intake? - Does continuing nutrition up to the time of surgery increase instances of food going into the lungs or lung infections? Researchers will compare patients who have nutrition withheld 6 hours prior to surgery versus those who receive nutrition up until the time of surgery to see if there are differences in food intake, instances of food entering the lungs or lung infections.
Intubation in the intensive care unit is a standard procedure with a high risk of adverse events such as hypoxaemia and cardiovascular instability. However, it is demonstrated that HFNO (High Flow Nasal Oxygen) for pre and perioxygenation is feasible and, in many situations, prolongs the safe apnoeic period after anaesthesia induction. Previous data of the use of HFNO during intubation of the critically ill is conflicting. With the new device Optiflow Switch, which allow its combination with NIV or tight facemask with perioxygenation, we aim to evaluate whether this could reduce intubation-related hypoxaemia and other adverse events. The general purpose of this project is to compare the addition of Optiflow Switch for pre- and perioxygenation to traditional preoxygenation using a tight-fitting mask or NIV during intubation in adult intensive care patients in a prospective before-and-after study design.
Electrical impedance tomography was used to monitor changes in pulmonary perfusion distribution and V/Q ratio before and after iNO in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome to investigate the factors predicting iNO reactivity and the physiological mechanism underlying changes in oxygenation.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fospropofol disodium for injection compared to propofol for deep sedation in mechanically ventilated ICU patients.
Intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is one of the most common complications of post-ICU syndrome. It is the leading cause of gait disturbance, decreased activities of daily living, and poor health-related quality of life. The early rehabilitation of critically ill patients can reduce the ICU-AW. We designed a protocol to investigate the feasibility and safety of conventional rehabilitation with additional in-bed cycling/stepping in critically ill patients. The study is designed as a single-center, open-label, pilot, randomized, parallel-group study. After the screening, participants are randomly allocated to two groups, stratified by mechanical ventilation status. The intervention group will be provided with exercises of in-bed cycling/stepping according to the level of consciousness, motor power, and function in addition to conventional rehabilitation. In contrast, the control group will be provided with only conventional rehabilitation. The length of the intervention is from ICU admission to discharge, and interventions will be conducted for 20 minutes, a maximum of three times per session. The primary outcome is the number and percentage of completed in-bed cycling/stepping sessions, the duration and percentage of in-bed cycling/stepping sessions, and the number of cessations of in-bed cycling/stepping sessions. The secondary outcomes are the interval from ICU admission to the first session of in-bed cycling/stepping, the number and percentage of completed conventional rehabilitation sessions, the duration and percentage of conventional rehabilitation sessions, the number of cessations of conventional rehabilitation sessions, the number of adverse events, level of consciousness, functional mobility, muscle strength, activities of daily living, and quality of life. This study is a pilot clinical trial to investigate the feasibility and safety of conventional rehabilitation with additional in-bed cycling/stepping in critically ill patients. If the expected results are achieved in this study, the methods of ICU rehabilitation will be enriched.