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Local Warming to Improve Pulse Oximetry Accuracy in Critically Ill Patients

NCT07792304 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 240

Last updated 2026-08-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Pulse oximeters are widely used in intensive care to continuously estimate the oxygen level in the blood. However, pulse oximeter measurements may be less accurate when blood flow to the fingers is poor, which is common in critically ill patients.

This study will investigate whether warming the hand and lower part of the forearm can improve the accuracy of pulse oximeter measurements in mechanically ventilated adult intensive care patients with low blood flow to the fingers.

Participants will be randomly assigned to either a local warming strategy or usual care without warming. In the warming group, the hand and lower forearm will be warmed for 15 minutes to a target temperature of 41-42°C. Pulse oximeter measurements will be compared with oxygen saturation measured from an arterial blood sample before and after the intervention.

The main objective is to determine whether local warming reduces the difference between pulse oximeter oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO₂) 15 minutes after the start of the assigned strategy. The study will also assess whether any improvement persists at 60 minutes, how peripheral blood flow changes during 4 hours of follow-up, whether repeat warming is effective when blood flow decreases again, and whether the effect differs according to skin phototype. Safety related to the warming intervention will also be evaluated.

Conditions

  • Critical Illness
  • Low Peripheral Perfusion
  • Pulse Oximetry Accuracy

Interventions

OTHER

Protocolized Local Warming

Local warming is applied to the dorsum of the hand and distal forearm for 15 minutes using a warming device adjusted to achieve a target interface temperature of 41-42°C. During follow-up, repeat warming is permitted if finger perfusion index decreases below 0.5.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • North Älvsborg County Hospital, Trollhättan

    collaborator UNKNOWN

  • Skaraborg Hospital

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • Vastra Gotaland Region

    lead OTHER_GOV

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-10-01
Primary Completion
2028-10-01
Completion
2028-12-01

Countries

  • Sweden

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07792304 on ClinicalTrials.gov