Physiologic Effects of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure and High Flow Nasal Oxygenation in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Summary

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) consists on a lack of breath due to fluid overload in the lungs that is not produced by a heart desease. Some people with this condition may need to be intubated and connected to invasive mechanical ventilation, but less severe cases may need supplementary oxygen that can be delivered with non-invasive devices, such as CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) or HFNO (high flow nasal oxygenation). CPAP consists on a facemask that provides oxygen-enriched air at a high pressure, whereas HFNO consists on nasal cannula that provides oxygen-enriched air at a high flow.

Patients with ARDS may present with high respiratory efforts that can eventually damage their own lungs and contribute to the development of a phenomenon known as patient self-inflicted lung injury (P-SILI). Previous research has identified that CPAP may be successful in attuenuating P-SILI compared to HFNO, but it is not known whether this attenuation actually results into a reduction in lung injury in real patients.

In this multicentre trial, 120 non-intubated patients with stablished ARDS will be randomly assigned to receive oxygen-enriched air through either CPAP or HFNO for 48 hours plus standard intensive care. The primary goal of this study is to determine the pulmonary effect of CPAP and HFNO through lung injury biomarkers that can be detected in blood, such as sRAGE (soluble Receptor of Advanced Glycation End-products), angiotensin-II, interleukin-6 and interleukin-10. It will also be studied whether CPAP reduces 48-hour traqueal intubation rate, 90-day traqueal intubation rate and 90-day mortality.

Identifying that CPAP attenuates lung injury in spontaneously breathing ARDS patients will help clinicians to better understand this condition and to better treat this patients, so they do not evenutally need traqueal intubation and connection to invasive mechanical ventilation.

Conditions

• Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
• Acute Respiratory Failure with Hypoxia

Interventions

DEVICE

CPAP

12 cmH2O for 48 hours (at least 10 hours of therapy per day). Nasobucal interface will be the preferred route with complete facial mask being also an acceptable device. If needed, therapy breaks will be delivered with HFNO at 50 L/min. Non-invasive ventilation will not be allowed. After 48 hours of treatment, clinicians will be able to decide the respiratory support to be provided although CPAP will be recommended to be continued as long as PaO2/FiO2 is less than or equal to 300 and inspired oxygen fraction is 40% or more.

DEVICE

HFNO 50 L/min

HFNO 50 L/min for 48 hours. Therapy breaks with oxygen facemask will be allowed as per clinician decision but the protocol will advise against this practice. Non-invasive ventilation will not be allowed. After 48 hours of treatment, clinicians will be able to decide the respiratory support to be provided although HFNO will be recommended to be continued as long as PaO2/FiO2 is less than or equal to 300 and inspired oxygen fraction is 40% or more.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

  collaborator OTHER

• Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery

  collaborator OTHER

• Ricard Mellado Artigas

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Carlos M Ferrando Ortolá, PhD · Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-01-07

Primary Completion

2026-04-30

Completion

2027-07-31

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations