CT for Personalized Mechanical Ventilation

September 23, 2025 updated by: Charles W. Emala, Columbia University

CT-Guided Personalized Mechanical Ventilation to Minimize Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury Study

The goal of this study is to compare two different ways of helping patients with a condition called sepsis who need help breathing using a machine called a ventilator. The investigators want to study which way of setting the ventilator is better for the lungs.

Here are the main questions the investigators want to answer:

  1. How does the amount of air in the lungs and the way it moves differ between the two ways?
  2. How does the way air spreads out in different parts of the lungs differ between the two ways? In this study, the investigators will take special pictures of the lungs using a machine called a CT scan. The pictures will show us how much the lungs stretch and how much air is in different parts of the lungs. The investigators will compare two different ways of using the ventilator: one personalized for each patient based on their breathing, and another way that is commonly used.

By comparing these two ways, the investigators hope to learn which one is better for helping patients with sepsis who need the ventilator. This information can help doctors make better decisions about how to care for these patients and improve their breathing.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Mechanical ventilation is a key life support method applied to millions of surgical and critically ill patients. Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is a major factor for morbidity and mortality in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the most severe form of respiratory dysfunction. Furthermore, mechanical ventilation settings also contribute to the risk for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in surgical patients and lung injury in critically ill patients with normal lungs at onset of ventilation. In summary, mitigation of VILI is critical to reduce perioperative and critical care morbidity and mortality, with major impact on outcomes and health care costs.

In this project, we propose to apply novel CT methods to assess spatial distributions of strain and aeration and establish measures of global lung mechanics best indicative of the PEEP leading to least injurious distributions and, thus, least VILI.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
7

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • 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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10025
        • Columbia University

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

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Following onset of mechanical ventilation and not longer than 5 days after intubation.

  • Sepsis as defined by the most recent criteria:

    • Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection operationalized by presumed or documented infection and a Sequential [Sepsis-related] Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score >= 2 or a change by 2 from the baseline if baseline known to be different from 0;

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age < 18 years;
  • Hemodynamic instability, defined as: systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 90 mmHg that is not adequately stabilized by vasopressors or inotropic agents. For these purposes, SBP will not be considered "adequately stabilized" if the dose of the vasopressor/inotrope has not been stable for at least one hour;
  • Hypoxemia, defined as: PaO2 < 70 mmHg on an inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) greater than or equal to 0.9;
  • Hemodynamic and/or respiratory instability (as defined, in items 2 and 3) that develop when the patient is mobilized during routine nursing care such as repositioning/washing the patient or changing their bed linens;
  • Hemodynamic and/or respiratory instability (as defined, in items 2 and 3) that develop when a 20 second respiratory pause is required to implement the study protocol. This will be tested by inducing such a pause prior to transporting the patient;
  • Any acute or chronic condition which, in the opinion of the investigators, might confound the imaging measurements (such as, but not limited to, severe bronchospasm, pulmonary infection, and lung tumor);
  • Any acute or chronic condition which, in the opinion of the investigators or managing critical care team, could prevent safe transport to the CT suite.
  • "Air leaks" requiring tube thoracotomy (e.g., pneumothorax, bronchopleural fistula);
  • Body mass index > 40 kg/m2;
  • Pregnancy (since this is a study that would expose a fetus to radiation risk);
  • Patients who have taken part in other research studies involving radiation exposure, or those patients for whom this research radiation history is unavailable at the time of consent.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Group 1: ARDSNet
Participants will receive standard ARDSNet low-stretch PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) protocol.
Procedure: PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) - standard

Breathing assistance from the breathing assist machine using the pressure settings typical for your disease.

Standard ARDSNet low-stretch PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) protocol: PEEP will be set following a routinely used PEEP table according to patients' blood oxygenation status.
Experimental: Group 2: Individualized PEEP (positive end expiratory pressure) Strategy
Participants will receive individualized PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure).
Procedure: PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) - maximum

Breathing assistance from the breathing assist machine using a method in which doctors try to find the pressures that expands the lungs the best. This is based on measurements of one's respiratory pressures and volumes. This is done by adjusting the pressure settings. This allows one's lungs to expand with the least amount of change in pressure during breathing.

PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) will be set at the maximum static respiratory system compliance (Crs) during a descending PEEP titration curve.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Squared coefficient of variation of the tidal volumetric strain
Time Frame: 48 hours
Squared coefficient of variation (=variance normalized by the squared mean) of the tidal volumetric strain will be obtained and calculated from CT images.
48 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Squared coefficient of variation of aeration
Time Frame: 48 hours
Squared coefficient of variation (=variance normalized by the squared mean) of aeration obtained and calculated from CT images.
48 hours
Average gas fraction
Time Frame: 48 hours
Average gas fraction will be obtained and calculated from CT images.
48 hours
Distribution of aeration categories
Time Frame: 48 hours
Distribution of aeration categories (non-aerated, poorly aerated, normally aerated and hyperinflated regions) will be obtained and calculated from CT images.
48 hours
Average tidal strain
Time Frame: 48 hours
Average of voxel level volumetric tidal strain will be obtained and calculated from CT images.
48 hours

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time during mechanical ventilation
Time Frame: Up to 5 days
Time during mechanical ventilation will be recorded in days.
Up to 5 days
Detection of Inflammatory cytokines
Time Frame: 48 hours
Inflammatory cytokine is a type of signaling molecule (a cytokine) that is secreted from immune cells like helper T cells (Th) and macrophages, and certain other cell types that promote inflammation; their presence will be measured by assays.
48 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Columbia University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Charles W. Emala, MD, Columbia University

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)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 10, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 28, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 28, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 4, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 26, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 23, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AAAT8623
  • 5R01HL121228-09 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

This is a NIH funded study. Data sharing will follow NIH guidelines.

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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