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Healthy Volunteers OnlyNCT07019831

A Study of Body Fat Distribution and Airway Mechanics in Healthy Adults

A study testing Body positioning in people with Healthy Volunteers Only, run by Maurizio F. Cereda, MD.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This study investigates how body fat distribution affects airway closure and lung mechanics in healthy adults. Using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), esophageal manometry, and computed tomography (CT), we aim to characterize how varying BMI and fat topography influence regional ventilation and airway collapse in… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy Volunteers Only
What is being tested?
Body positioning
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
1 Jan 2028to 30 Jun 2030
Phase
Interventional
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 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Healthy subjects older than 18 years and younger than 80.

Who cannot join

  • Pre-existing cardiopulmonary disease
  • history of tobacco or ecigarette smoking

Trial locations and contacts

No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Maurizio Cereda, MD contact

16176430987

mcereda@mgh.harvard.edu

Lorenzo Berra, MD contact

617 724 0743

LBERRA@mgh.harvard.edu

About this study

Official title: Imaging the Respiratory Effects of Truncal Adiposity in Healthy Subjects

This study investigates how body fat distribution affects airway closure and lung mechanics in healthy adults. Using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), esophageal manometry, and computed tomography (CT), we aim to characterize how varying BMI and fat topography influence regional ventilation and airway collapse in supine and prone positions. Healthy volunteers with a range of BMIs will undergo a 2-hour imaging session with noninvasive and minimally invasive monitoring.

Read the detailed description

This physiological research study explores the relationship between body habitus, fat distribution, and mechanical responses of the lung to the prone and supine position. In a prospective, single-center, physiological, crossover study, study subjects (n=20) will be recruited among healthy volunteers across BMI categories. Lung function will be assessed in the supine and prone position (maintained for 15 min). Intrathoracic pressure (ITP) will be measured using esophageal manometry. Airway opening pressure (AOP) will be measured by as the airway pressure (non-invasively applied through a mask) needed to match ITP. Regional ventilation will be measured in both positions using electrical impedance tomography. Subjects will then transfer to the computed tomography (CT) scanner, where supine and prone images will be acquired during breath holds after normal expiration and after full inspiration. CT scans will then be analyzed for the quantification of lung volumes, thoracic adipose mass and airway geometry.

Being tested
Body positioning
Keywords
obesity, electrical impedance tomography, computed tomography, esophageal manometry, airway geometry
Medical subject headings
Obesity

What participants receive

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

  • Body positioningProcedure or surgery

    Also called Supine and prone

    Each subject will breathe in both the supine and prone positions, randomly applied for 15 minutes each. The procedure will be performed twice: once for the assessment of respiratory physiology, and once for computed tomography acquisition.

Study groups in NCT07019831
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Single arm, respiratory mechanics and adipose distribution in two body positionsExperimentalA total of 20 healthy volunteers will undergo assessments of respiratory mechanics in the supine and prone position. Then, the same subjects will undergo CT scans of the lungs in both positions. Body positions will be randomly applied for 15 minutes each.
Receives: Procedure: Body positioning

What is being measured

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

  1. Lung volumes

    Lung volumes will be measured from quantitative analysis of CT scans obtained in the supine and in the prone position.

    Measured: Day 1, 15 minutes after breathing in the supine and in the prone position

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Thoracic adiposity

    Thoracic adipose tissue will be quantified from analysis of computed tomography images as area of adipose tissue (cm^2) at multiple vertebral levels.

    Measured: Day 1

Timeline

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

  1. First posted13 Jun 2025
  2. Study start1 Jan 2028 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Jun 2030 (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
Diagnosis
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
In a prospective, single-center, physiological, crossover study, the investigators will recruit 20 healthy volunteers across four standard body mass index categories (normal weight, overweight, class I obesity, class II/III obesity).
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07019831
Sponsor's protocol ID
2025P001553
Status last verified
Jun 2025
First submitted
5 Jun 2025
Last updated
18 Jun 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Spina S, Mantz L, Xin Y, Moscho DC, Ribeiro De Santis Santiago R, Grassi L, Nova A, Gerard SE, Bittner EA, Fintelmann FJ, Berra L, Cereda M. The pleural gradient does not reflect the superimposed pressure in patients with class III obesity. Crit Care. 2024 Sep 16;28(1):306. doi: 10.1186/s13054-024-05097-6.

    PubMed 39285477
  • Giani M, Restivo A, Raimondi Cominesi D, Fracchia R, Pozzi M, Del Sorbo L, Foti G, Brochard L, Rezoagli E. Prone-position decreases airway closure in a patient with ARDS undergoing venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. J Clin Monit Comput. 2024 Dec;38(6):1425-1429. doi: 10.1007/s10877-024-01182-x. Epub 2024 Jul 27.

    PubMed 39066871
  • Coudroy R, Vimpere D, Aissaoui N, Younan R, Bailleul C, Couteau-Chardon A, Lancelot A, Guerot E, Chen L, Brochard L, Diehl JL. Prevalence of Complete Airway Closure According to Body Mass Index in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Anesthesiology. 2020 Oct 1;133(4):867-878. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000003444.

    PubMed 32701573
  • Jones RL, Nzekwu MM. The effects of body mass index on lung volumes. Chest. 2006 Sep;130(3):827-33. doi: 10.1378/chest.130.3.827.

    PubMed 16963682
  • Florio G, De Santis Santiago RR, Fumagalli J, Imber DA, Marrazzo F, Sonny A, Bagchi A, Fitch AK, Anekwe CV, Amato MBP, Arora P, Kacmarek RM, Berra L. Pleural Pressure Targeted Positive Airway Pressure Improves Cardiopulmonary Function in Spontaneously Breathing Patients With Obesity. Chest. 2021 Jun;159(6):2373-2383. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.01.055. Epub 2021 May 8.

    PubMed 34099131

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Body positioning in people with Healthy Volunteers Only, run by Maurizio F. Cereda, MD.

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 1 inclusion and 2 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jun 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

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.

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?

Contact Maurizio Cereda, MD (16176430987, mcereda@mgh.harvard.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Lung volumes (time frame: Day 1, 15 minutes after breathing in the supine and in the prone position). 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 NCT07019831, which also lists 5 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 18 Jun 2025.

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