Effect of PEP on Oxygen Saturation and Carbon Dioxide After Abdominal Surgery

November 8, 2020 updated by: Karl A Franklin, Umeå University
Positive expiratory pressure( PEP) is routinely given to patients after surgery in order to improve lung function and oxygen saturation. There is, however, no evidence of effect on lung function, postoperative pneumonia or any other outcome (Guimarães MMF, Tyson AF). The investigators aim to test the immediate effects of PEP therapy on oxygen saturation and carbon dioxide after abdominal surgery. 80 patients will be investigated in RCT design with expiration using PEP or with expiration to a sham-PEP, a tube without resistance. At the end of the study we will also measure the effect of 10x3 deep breathing maneuvers without PEP or shamPEP. Primary outcome: Maximum and minimum levels of continuously measured oxygen saturation from pulse oximetry and transcutaneous carbon dioxide partial pressure during the trial.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background Hypoxia, reduced lung function and atelectais are common after abdominal surgery and can be hazardous in patients with chronic hypoxia. Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) therapy or incentive spirometry are routinely given to patients after abdominal surgery to counteract atelectasis and improve oxygen saturation. Patients are instructed by a physiotherapist to take deep inspiratory breaths and expire in a PEP-device or PEP bottle. The method is used routinely in Swedish hospital and the patient breathes against 10-15 cm water resistance. This is repeated 10x3 ie 10 deep breaths and exhalation towards PEP then rest, breath, rest and another 10 breaths. This procedure should be done once an hour after surgery. The idea is that this will widen alveoli and abolish atelectasis, thus increasing the oxygen uptake and reducing the risk of postoperative complications.

There is no evidence of effect of PEP and incentive spirometry on postoperative pulmonary complications after abdominal surgery (Guimarães MMF, Tyson AF). Nevertheless, PEP therapy is used in Sweden and internationally. There were no studies found reporting the immediate effect of PEP on continuous oxygen saturation and carbon dioxide partial pressure after surgery.

Aims

What effect does PEP have on oxygen saturation and carbon dioxide partial pressure? What is the effect of deep breathing maneuvers on oxygen saturation and carbon dioxide partial pressure?

Methods

Inclusion: 80 adult patients over 18 years of age who have undergone open or laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Patients receiving postoperative PEP are asked to participate in the study at one or two days after after abdominal surgery.

Exclusion: Patients who cannot participate in using PEP or who do not agree to participate in the study.

Power calculation:.It was estimated that 34 patients were needed to detect a mean (SD) difference in oxygen saturation of 1% (2%) and to detect a difference in transcutaneous PCO2 of 0.5 kPa (1 kPa) with a significance of p < 0.05 and a power of 80%.

Design / Randomization: RCT study with cross-over design. Patients are randomized using computer programs, handled by a person outside the study, to either start with either PEP breathing 10x3 or sham-PEP breathing 10x3.

Method: Starting with lung function assessment to determine PEF (Mini Wright Clement Clarke). Then, application of continuous transcutaneous PCO2 / SaO2 (SenTec Digital Monitoring System, ResMed) and a respiratory belt around the chest detecting the respiratory rate. Data is recorded with computer equipment (Noxturnal T3, ResMed).

The patients are randomized to initiate with either 10x3 breaths using PEP therapy or 10x3 breaths using Sham PEP. After a rest period, patients switch to the second treatment (cross-over). At the end of the trial, all patients take 10X3 deep breaths without PEP or sham PEP.

At the start of the study, baseline level for SaO2 and TcPCO2 is recorded, and an arterial blood gas is recorded to calibrate the transcutaneous PCO2 measurement. Thereafter, the registration continues during breathing / blowing until the patient returns to its baseline values. New PEF examination is made after each study arm.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

80

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Umea
      • Umeå, Umea, Sweden, 901 85
        • Dept of Surgery, Inst of Surgical and Perioperative sciences

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients over 18 years of age who have undergone open or laparoscopic abdominal surgery.
  • Patients receiving postoperative PEP are asked the day after surgery if they want to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who cannot participate in using PEP or who do not agree to participate in the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: CROSSOVER
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
SHAM_COMPARATOR: sham PEP
3 cycles of 10 deep inspiration and expiration in a sham tube without expiratory resistance
Deep inspirations 3 times 10 and expiration in a placebo tube without expiratory resistance
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: PEP
3 cycles of 10 deep inspiration followed by expiration with positive expiratory pressure (PEP) device or PEP bottle of 10-15 cm of water pressure
Patients take a deep inspiration followed by PEP expiration with an expiratory pressure of 10-15 cm H2O
EXPERIMENTAL: deep breathing maneuvers
3 cycled of 10 deep breathing maneuvers without PEP or sham PEP
deep breathing maneuvers 3 times 10 breahs without any device at expiration

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Transcutaneous blood gas measurements: transcutaneous pCO2
Time Frame: once, within one hour
transcutaneous pCO2
once, within one hour

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pulse oximetry: oxygen saturation (SaO2)
Time Frame: once, within one hour
oxygen saturation (SaO2)
once, within one hour
Lung function: PEF
Time Frame: once, within one hour
Peak expiratory flow
once, within one hour

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Karl Franklin, Ass Prof, Umeå University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

June 12, 2017

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

December 31, 2018

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

December 31, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 24, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 2, 2017

First Posted (ACTUAL)

June 5, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

November 10, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 8, 2020

Last Verified

November 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2017/195-31

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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