Mechanical Ventilator Adjustments and Patient Dyspnea (NCT07701850)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
In the past 5 years, there are increasing data suggesting that patients treated with mechanical ventilation experience shortness of breath, despite appropriate sedation. This adverse experience is believed to contribute to the finding that up to 25% of patients who survive severe respiratory diseases experience mental health problems including post traumatic distress syndrome (PTSD). The purpose of this study is to evaluate if/how sequential changes in the delivery of mechanical ventilation affect shortness of breath sensation in awake patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Improving the knowledge of the impact of the patient-ventilator interaction on shortness of breath sensation may lead to strategies to improve the comfort of non-sedated and sedated ventilated patients, and thereby reduce mental health sequelae in survivors of acute severe respiratory diseases The investigators hypothesize that current ventilator strategies, particularly reduced tidal volume (size of breath given by the ventilator) utilized in managing patients with severe respiratory diseases, contribute to shortness of breath in patients with increased drive to breathe. In this setting, some safe ventilator changes may improve or worsen the shortness of breath sensation in awake patients on mechanical ventilation.
Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (8 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (18 items).
Location: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — Boston, Massachusetts
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistCheck every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).
Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:
- Exclusion Criteria:
- Age \< 18 years old
- Comfort measures only
- Hemodynamic instability (MAP \< 65 mmHg) or increasing requirement of vasopressor
- PEEP \> 10 cmH2O
- FiO2 \> 0.6
- Current Prone position
- Current Pneumothorax
- Bronchopleural fistula
- Neuromuscular conditions that impair responding to the dyspnea scale or expression
- Dementia
- Prisoners
🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — Boston, Massachusetts
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.