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Covid19Phase 3SAVE-ICUNCT04415060

SedAting With Volatile Anesthetics Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients in ICU: Effects On Ventilatory Parameters And Survival

A Phase 3 study testing Isoflurane Inhalant Product and Sevoflurane inhalant product in people with Covid19 and Hypoxic Respiratory Failure, run by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at 13 sites in Canada.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

Patients suffering lung failure, possibly from COVID-19 or hypoxic lung failure, will need life-saving support from a breathing machine. Any patient needing this support requires drugs to keep them sleepy, or "sedated" to be comfortable on this machine. Sedation is made possible by using drugs given through a vein. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Covid19, Hypoxic Respiratory Failure
What is being tested?
Isoflurane Inhalant Product and Sevoflurane inhalant product
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
800 participants
Where
13 sitesCanada
Study dates
15 Jun 2020to 15 Jun 2027
Phase
Phase 3
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • ≥ 18 years of age
  • Mechanically ventilated and expected to remain mechanically ventilated at the end of the next day
  • Receiving IV sedation by infusion or bolus for ≤72 hours to facilitate mechanical ventilation Transferred patients with escalating ventilation needs are eligible for recruitment within ≤72 hours of sedation commenced within the participating trial site that they were transferred to.
  • Note: Intravenous sedation required to support mechanical ventilation includes use of one or more of the following agents: benzodiazepines, propofol, ketamine, barbiturates, alpha-2 agonist, opioids. Patients receiving intravenous opioids only i.e., fentanyl ≥ 50mcg/hour, hydromorphone ≥ 0.4mg/hour (or bolus q1h) for analgesia and sedation or agitation to assist mechanical ventilation are eligible for inclusion.
  • Mechanically ventilated patients +/- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (extracorporeal life) support with:
  • Proven or suspected (under investigation) COVID-19, or
  • COVID-19 negative patients who have a PaO2FiO2 ratio ≤300 measured with arterial blood gas at least once during the 12 hours prior to enrollment.
  • Note: If arterial blood gas measurement is unavailable, the PaO2 can be imputed from the pulse oximetry measurement

Who cannot join

  • Contraindications to sedatives, such as propofol infusion syndrome or malignant hyperthermia;
  • Known allergy to any of the ingredients or components of the investigational products; sevoflurane or isoflurane;
  • Suspect or evidence of high intracranial pressure;
  • Severe brain injury that is likely to lead to sustained very low conscious levels or vegetative state
  • Severe neuromuscular disorder for example amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Gullian Barre Syndrome that are the primary cause of needing ICU admission and mechanical ventilation
  • One-lung ventilation or pneumonectomy;
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Ideal estimated tidal volume too low for delivery of inhaled agents. Target (6ml/kg) < 200ml;
  • Use of inhaled prostacyclin which is contraindicated in the presence of a miniature vaporizer (i.e., Anesthesia Conserving Device). This agent has a high viscosity that leads to poor vaporization of the volatile agent. Note: Other inhaled pulmonary vasodilators such as nitric oxide can be safely administered in the presence of miniature vaporizers. Use of prostacyclin is permissible with an anesthesia machine and MADM;
  • Known pregnancy
  • Moribund patient not expected to survive >12 hours

Trial locations and contacts

13 sites in 1 country.

13 sites in 1 country

Canada13 sites
  • University of Alberta Hospital

    Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2B7

  • Grey Nuns Community Hospital

    Edmonton, Alberta, T6L 5X8

  • London Health Sciences Centre - University Hospital

    London, Ontario, N6A 5A5

  • London Health Sciences Centre - Victoria Hospital

    London, Ontario

  • Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal

    Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3E4

  • McGill University Health Centre - Royal Victoria Hospital

    Montreal, Quebec, H4A 3J1

  • Hôpital Sacré-Coeur de Montréal

    Montreal, Quebec, H4J1C5

  • The Ottawa Hospital

    Ottawa, Ontario

  • Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Quebec (IUCPQ)

    Québec, Quebec, G1V 4G5

  • Universite de Sherbrooke

    Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1K 2R1

  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

    Toronto, Ontario, M4N3M5

  • University Health Network - Toronto General Hospital

    Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4

  • University Health Network - Toronto Western Hopsital

    Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2S8

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: SedAting With Volatile Anesthetics Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients in ICU: Effects On Ventilatory Parameters And Survival. Multicentre Open-label, Pragmatic, Randomized Controlled Trial and a Parallel Prospective (Non-randomized) Cohort Study

Patients suffering lung failure, possibly from COVID-19 or hypoxic lung failure, will need life-saving support from a breathing machine. Any patient needing this support requires drugs to keep them sleepy, or "sedated" to be comfortable on this machine. Sedation is made possible by using drugs given through a vein. Unfortunately, these drugs are in short supply worldwide due to the high number of COVID-19 patients needing these machines.

Another way to provide sleep is by using gases that are breathed in. These are used every day in operating rooms to perform surgery. These gases, also called "inhaled agents" can also be used in intensive care units and may have several important benefits for patients and the hospital. Research shows they may reduce swelling in the lung and increase oxygen levels, which allows patients to recover faster and reduce the time spent on a breathing machine. In turn, this allows the breathing machine to be used again for the next sick patient. These drugs may also increase the number of patients who live through their illness. Inhaled agents are widely available and their use could dramatically lesson the pressure on limited drug supplies.

This research is a study being carried out in a number of hospitals that will compare how well patients recover from these illnesses depending on which type of sedation drug they receive. The plan is to evaluate the number who survive, their time spent on a breathing machine and time in the hospital. This study may show immediate benefits and may provide a cost effective and practical solution to the current challenges caring for patients and the hospital space, equipment and drugs to the greatest benefit. Furthermore, the study will be investigating inflammatory profile and neuro-cognitive profiles in ventilated patients. Finally, this trial will be a team of experts in sedation drugs who care for patients with proven or suspected COVID-19 who need lifesaving treatments.

Read the detailed description

Multicentre open-label, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial and a parallel prospective (non-randomized) cohort study conducted in ICUs and ICU enabled environments caring in critically ill COVID-19 and non-COVID hypoxic respiratory failure patients.

Participants will be mechanically ventilated and will be variably randomized, within 72 hours of start of sedation treatment, in a 1:1 ratio to either an intravenous or inhaled volatile-based sedation arm depending on availability of sedative drugs for both arms. Stratification will be done by:

  1. Age ≥ 65 years
  2. participating centre
  3. PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 150

Patients who cannot be randomized (due to technical or resource issues in some areas of the hospital) will be entered into the parallel prospective (non-randomized) cohort study and will receive intravenous or inhaled sedation as able in their designated unit.

Sedation will be administered according to standard sedation practice and in keeping with current guidelines.

Participants will be followed:

  • daily in ICU until 30 days after enrollment, ICU discharge or death, whichever occurs first;
  • at 30 days after last dose of drug administration by telephone or through the hospital healthcare database;
  • at 60 days, 90 days, and 365 days after enrollment by telephone and/or through data linkages with a provincial or hospital or state healthcare database;
  • Participants will have the option to participate in the neuro-cognitive and / or biomarker assessments
Being tested
Isoflurane Inhalant Product, Sevoflurane inhalant product
Keywords
sedation, ICU, volatile anesthetics
Medical subject headings
COVID-19

What participants receive

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

  • Isoflurane Inhalant ProductDrug

    Isoflurane will be administered using an inhalation device

  • Sevoflurane inhalant productDrug

    Sevoflurane will be administered using an inhalation device

Study groups in NCT04415060
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Inhaled - volatile anestheticExperimentalThe ICU patient will be randomized to either Isoflurane or Sevoflurane, whichever is available at the hospital. Dosage will be modified as per health care team guidance for the best treatment of the participant.
Receives: Drug: Isoflurane Inhalant Product; Drug: Sevoflurane inhalant product
Standard CareNo interventionThe ICU patient will be randomized to standard of care, which is any IV sedation supplied by the hospital. Dosage will be modified as per health care team guidance for the best treatment of the participant.
Non-randomizedNo interventionIn this arm, ICU patients who cannot be randomized will receive inhaled or IV sedation as per available in their unit. This is done to try to obtain the maximum amount of information available from the patients present to our ICUs.

What is being measured

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

  1. Hospital Mortality

    Does the use of inhaled volatile anesthetic-based sedation regimen improve participant hospital mortality as compared to standard intravenous sedation regimen with a 10% difference between groups for 758 participants.

    Measured: 365 days

Secondary outcomes (8)
  1. Ventilator-Free Days

    Does the use of inhaled volatile anesthetic-based sedation regimen improve participant ventilation outcomes after 30 days post enrollment, as compared to standard intravenous sedation regimen for 200 participants

    Measured: 30 days

  2. ICU-Free Days

    Does the use of inhaled volatile anesthetic-based sedation regimen improve participant time spent in ICU, 30 days post enrollment, as compared to standard intravenous sedation regimen for 128 participants

    Measured: 30 days

  3. Participant Quality of Life at 3 months after discharge

    Does the use of inhaled volatile anesthetic-based sedation regimen improve participant quality of life outcomes at 3 months post discharge as compared to standard intravenous sedation regimen for 144 participants. To evaluate the quality of life, the EuroQol-5 Dimensional (EQ5D) survey will be completed at 90 days.

    Measured: 90 days

  4. Delirium and Coma Free Days

    To evaluate the days alive and free from delirium and coma while in ICU for 14 days after enrollment

    Measured: 14 days

  5. Median Daily Oxygenation

    To evaluate participant median daily oxygenation (PaO2/FiO2) at 3 days post enrollment

    Measured: 3 days

  6. Adjunctive ARDS therapies

    To evaluate participant need for adjunctive ARDS therapies (prone, nitric oxide, paralysis, ECMO) during ICU stay

    Measured: 30 days

  7. Hospital-Free Days

    To evaluate the number of hospital-free days for participants, 60 days after enrollment

    Measured: 60 days

  8. Disability

    To evaluate participant disability at 3 and 12 months post discharge. The World Health Organization Disabiltity Assessment Score (WHODAS 2.0) will be completed at both timepoints. The scores assigned to each of the items - "none" (0), "mild" (1) "moderate" (2), "severe" (3) and "extreme" (4) - are summed. This method is referred to as simple scoring because the scores from each of the items are simply added up without recoding or collapsing of response categories; thus, there is no weighting of individual items.

    Measured: 365 days

Timeline

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

  1. First posted4 Jun 2020
  2. Study start15 Jun 2020
  3. Primary completion31 Mar 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion15 Jun 2027 (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 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Multicentre open-label, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial and a parallel prospective (non-randomized) cohort study
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
800 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04415060
Sponsor's protocol ID
2149
Acronym
SAVE-ICU
Status last verified
Jul 2025
First submitted
2 Jun 2020
Last updated
9 Feb 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Jerath A, Slessarev M, Martin C, D'Aragon F, Carrier FM, Senaratne J, Meggison H, Hooper J, Cavayas YA, Goligher EC, Couture EJ, Randall IM, Hatzakorzian R, Jacka M, Wiener-Kronish J, Xie Z, Pinto R, Hussain I, Cuthbertson BH; SAVE-ICU Investigators and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. Isoflurane-Based Inhaled Sedation in Mechanically Ventilated Adults With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: The SAVE-ICU Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2026 Oct 14. doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.18471. Online ahead of print.

    PubMed 42872958
  • Jerath A, Slessarev M, Martin C, D'Aragon F, Carrier FM, Senaratne J, Meggison H, Hooper J, Alexandros Cavayas Y, Goligher EC, Couture EJ, Randall I, Hatzakorzian R, Jacka M, Wiener-Kronish J, Xie Z, Pinto RL, Cuthbertson B; SAVE-ICU Investigators and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. Sedating with volatile anaesthetics for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure patients in ICU (SAVE-ICU): protocol for a randomised clinical trial. BMJ Open. 2025 Oct 13;15(10):e108441. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-108441.

    PubMed 41083292

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing Isoflurane Inhalant Product and Sevoflurane inhalant product in people with Covid19 and Hypoxic Respiratory Failure, run by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at 13 sites in Canada.

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 8 inclusion and 10 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 13 sites in Canada. 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. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Hospital Mortality (time frame: 365 days). 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 NCT04415060, which also lists 2 linked publications.

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 9 Feb 2026.

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