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Mechanical Ventilation ComplicationNCT03453944

NMES to Prevent Respiratory Muscle Atrophy in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

A study testing VentFree prototype (VF03-K) active stimulation in people with Mechanical Ventilation Complication and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, run by University Medical Center Nijmegen at 3 sites in Netherlands.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Patients requiring prolonged time on the ventilator are susceptible to a wide range of clinical complications and excess mortality. It is therefore imperative for them to wean at the earliest possible time. Respiratory muscle weakness due to disuse of these muscles is a major underlying factor for weaning failure. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 99 years
What is being tested?
VentFree prototype (VF03-K) active stimulation
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
20 participants
Where
3 sitesNetherlands
Study dates
9 Mar 2017to 31 Dec 2018
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 99 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • age > 18 year
  • invasive mechanical ventilation less than 72 hours
  • expected duration of MV after inclusion > 72 hours

Who cannot join

  • no clearly visible separate layers of the abdominal wall muscles (external oblique, internal oblique and transverse abdominal muscles), assessed with ultrasound during routine care
  • cardiac pacemaker
  • congenital myopathies and/or existing central or peripheral neuropathies
  • refractory epilepsy
  • recent abdominal surgery within four weeks prior to study inclusion
  • body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 kg/m2
  • pregnancy

Trial locations and contacts

3 sites in 1 country.

Leo MA Heunks, MD, Prof contact

0204442209

l.heunks@vumc.nl

Annemijn H Jonkman, MSc contact

0204442209

ah.jonkman@vumc.nl

Netherlands3 sites, 3 recruiting
  • VU University Medical Center

    Amsterdam, North Holland, 1081 HV

    Leo MA Heunks, MD, Prof, l.heunks@vumc.nl

    Angelique ME Spoelstra-de Man, MD, PhD, am.spoelstra@vumc.nl

    Recruiting
  • UMC Nijmegen

    Nijmegen, Gelderland, 6525 GA

    Tim Frenzel, MD, PhD, +31 (0) 24 3665010, tim.frenzel@radboudumc.nl

    Recruiting
  • Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital

    Nijmegen, Gelderland, 6532 SZ

    Jeroen Schouten, MD, +31 (0)24 - 365 7915, j.schouten@cwz.nl

    Mirjam Evers, +31 (0)24 - 365 7915, m.evers@cwz.nl

    Recruiting

Other trials in Netherlands

About this study

Official title: Breath Synchronized Electrical Stimulation of the Abdominal Wall Muscles to Prevent Respiratory Muscle Atrophy During the Acute Stages of Mechanical Ventilation Therapy

Patients requiring prolonged time on the ventilator are susceptible to a wide range of clinical complications and excess mortality. It is therefore imperative for them to wean at the earliest possible time.

Respiratory muscle weakness due to disuse of these muscles is a major underlying factor for weaning failure. Surprisingly, there is not much known about the impact of critical illness and MV on the expiratory abdominal wall muscles.These muscles are immediately activated as ventilation demands increase and are important in supporting respiratory function in patients with diaphragm weakness. Weakness of expiratory abdominal wall muscles will result in a decreased cough function and reduced ventilatory capacity. These are considerable causes of weaning failure and (re)hospitalisation for respiratory complications such as pneumonia.

Recent evidence shows that neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can be used as a safe therapy to maintain skeletal muscle function in critically ill patients. This study will be the first to test the hypothesis that breath-synchronized NMES of the abdominal wall muscles can prevent expiratory muscle atrophy during the acute stages of MV.

Read the detailed description

Approximately 30-40% of intubated patients at the intensive care unit (ICU) take more than one attempt to wean from mechanical ventilation (MV). 6-14% of intubated patients take longer than 7 days to wean from MV. Patients requiring prolonged time on the ventilator are susceptible to a wide range of clinical complications and excess mortality. It is therefore imperative for them to wean at the earliest possible time.

Respiratory muscle weakness due to disuse of these muscles is a major underlying factor for weaning failure. It is known that diaphragm strength rapidly declines within a few days after the initiation of MV. Surprisingly, there is not much known about the impact of critical illness and MV on the expiratory abdominal wall muscles.These muscles are immediately activated as ventilation demands increase and are important in supporting respiratory function in patients with diaphragm weakness. Weakness of expiratory abdominal wall muscles will result in a decreased cough function and reduced ventilatory capacity. These are considerable causes of weaning failure and (re)hospitalisation for respiratory complications such as pneumonia.

Recent evidence shows that neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can be used as a safe therapy to maintain skeletal muscle function in critically ill patients, e.g. by stimulating quadriceps muscles in patients receiving MV.

This study will be the first to test the hypothesis that exhalation synchronized NMES of the abdominal wall muscles can prevent expiratory muscle atrophy during the acute stages of MV. The investigators hypothesize that this approach will improve respiratory function and thereby will reduce the amount of time it takes to wean patients from mechanical ventilation.

Being tested
VentFree prototype (VF03-K) active stimulation, VentFree prototype (VF03-K) sham stimulation
Keywords
Expiratory muscles, Mechanically ventilated patients, Neuromuscular electrical stimulation, Respiratory function, Ventilator-acquired muscle atrophy
Medical subject headings
Muscle Weakness, Respiratory Aspiration

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • VentFree prototype (VF03-K) active stimulationDevice

    Abdominal wall muscle stimulation synchronised with mechanical ventilation. Stimulation frequency: 30 Hz, pulse width: 352us, max. intensity: 100mA (threshold intensity determined using ultrasound)

  • VentFree prototype (VF03-K) sham stimulationDevice

    Abdominal wall muscle sham-stimulation synchronised with mechanical ventilation. Stimulation frequency: 10 Hz, pulse width: 352us, intensity: 15 mA.

Study groups in NCT03453944
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
VF03-K active stimulationExperimentalNMES applied to the abdominal wall muscles using the VentFree prototype (VF03-K). Stimulation is applied twice daily for 30 minutes, 5 days per week, for 6 weeks or until the patient is weaned from mechanical ventilation, whichever occurs sooner.
Receives: Device: VentFree prototype (VF03-K) active stimulation
VF03-K sham stimulationSham comparatorSham stimulation applied to the abdominal wall muscles using the VentFree prototype (VF03-K). Sham stimulation is applied twice daily for 30 minutes, 5 days per week, for 6 weeks or until the patient is weaned from mechanical ventilation, whichever occurs sooner.
Receives: Device: VentFree prototype (VF03-K) sham stimulation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Thickness of the abdominal wall muscles

    Thickness of the abdominal wall muscles over time, for both groups, as measured by ultrasound.

    Measured: Until study completion, up to 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes (9)
  1. Thickness of the diaphragm

    Thickness of the diaphragm over time, for both groups, as measured by ultrasound.

    Measured: Until study completion, up to 6 weeks

  2. Thickness of the rectus abdominis muscle

    Thickness of the rectus abdominis mucle over time, for both groups, as measured by ultrasound.

    Measured: Until study completion, up to 6 weeks

  3. Maximum expiratory pressure (MEP)

    Maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) to assess expiratory muscle function

    Measured: Within 24 hours after extubation

  4. Maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP)

    Maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) to assess inspiratory muscle function

    Measured: Within 24 hours after extubation

  5. Vital capacity (Vc)

    Vital capacity (Vc) to assess respiratory muscle strength

    Measured: Within 24 hours after extubation

  6. Peak expiratory flow

    Peak expiratory flow (PEF) to assess cough strength

    Measured: Within 24 hours after extubation

  7. Number of patients with extubation failure

    Weaning failure defined as the failure to pass a spontaneous-breathing trial or the need for reintubation within 48 hours following extubation

    Measured: Within 24 hours after extubation

  8. Systemic inflammatory markers

    Among others, cytokines IL-6 and IL-1 will be determined from blood sample analysis

    Measured: Within 24 hours after extubation

  9. Number of patients with respiratory complications after ICU discharge

    Number of patients with development of pneumonia, and readmission to the ICU due to atelectasis or respiratory problems that require mechanical ventilation.

    Measured: Up to 6 weeks after ICU discharge

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted5 Mar 2018
  2. Study start9 Mar 2017
  3. Primary completion1 Jul 2018 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2018 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
20 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03453944
Sponsor's protocol ID
LM-RB-01
Status last verified
Feb 2018
First submitted
25 Apr 2017
Last updated
5 Mar 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Jonkman AH, Frenzel T, McCaughey EJ, McLachlan AJ, Boswell-Ruys CL, Collins DW, Gandevia SC, Girbes ARJ, Hoiting O, Kox M, Oppersma E, Peters M, Pickkers P, Roesthuis LH, Schouten J, Shi ZH, Veltink PH, de Vries HJ, Shannon Weickert C, Wiedenbach C, Zhang Y, Tuinman PR, de Man AME, Butler JE, Heunks LMA. Breath-synchronized electrical stimulation of the expiratory muscles in mechanically ventilated patients: a randomized controlled feasibility study and pooled analysis. Crit Care. 2020 Oct 30;24(1):628. doi: 10.1186/s13054-020-03352-0.

    PubMed 33126902

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing VentFree prototype (VF03-K) active stimulation in people with Mechanical Ventilation Complication and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, run by University Medical Center Nijmegen at 3 sites in Netherlands.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Mar 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 3 sites in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Leo MA Heunks, MD, Prof (0204442209, l.heunks@vumc.nl), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Thickness of the abdominal wall muscles (time frame: Until study completion, up to 6 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03453944, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Mar 2018.

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