Transpulmonary Assessment for Individualized Lung Optimization in Obese Patients (TAILOR-PEEP)

April 7, 2026 updated by: University of Alberta

Transpulmonary Assessment for Individualized Lung Optimization in Patients Living With Obesity Research - Positive End-Expiratory Pressure

This protocol describes a randomized controlled feasibility vanguard study designed to investigate the implementation and effects of esophageal pressure-guided positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration in patients with high body mass index (BMI) mechanically ventilated patients at the Edmonton Zone. The study will enroll 30 patients with body mass index (BMI) >=30 kg/m2 who require invasive mechanical ventilation, randomizing them in a 1:1 ratio to receive either esophageal pressure-guided PEEP titration or standard care management. The primary objective focuses on establishing the feasibility of conducting a larger definitive trial, while secondary objectives examine differences in applied PEEP levels, respiratory mechanics, and clinical outcomes between groups. The intervention protocol targets end-expiratory transpulmonary pressure of 0-2 cmH2O.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
30

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.
  • Phase 2

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Alberta
      • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
        • Recruiting
        • University of Alberta Hospital
        • Contact:
      • St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
        • Recruiting
        • Sturgeon Community Hospital
        • Contact:

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:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Body mass index ≥30 kg/m²
  • Intubated and receiving passive mechanical ventilation
  • Within 24 hours of intubation
  • Anticipated need for mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known or suspected esophageal varices
  • Esophageal surgery within 3 months
  • Known esophageal stricture or perforation
  • Active upper gastrointestinal bleeding
  • Severe coagulopathy (INR >3.0 or platelet count <30,000/μL)
  • Known or suspected intracranial hypertension without intracranial pressure monitoring device demonstrating controlled intracranial pressure (<20 mmHg)
  • Severe hemodynamic instability at treating physician discretion
  • Known pregnancy
  • Moribund state with expected survival <48 hours
  • Receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
  • Open abdomen post-operatively
  • Previous enrollment in this study
  • Any other contraindication to esophageal balloon placement as determined by clinical team

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: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: Esophageal-balloon guided
Esophageal balloon catheter placed within 4 hours of randomization. PEEP titrated to achieve end-expiratory transpulmonary pressure of 0-2 cmH2O (up to 8 cmH2O for P/F ratio <200). PEEP adjusted in 2 cmH2O increments with 5-minute stabilization periods. Safety limits: transpulmonary driving pressure <15 cmH2O, end-inspiratory transpulmonary pressure <20 cmH2O. Reassessment twice daily (approximately 0800 and 2200). Catheter removed prior to extubation or at 28 days, whichever occurs first.
Procedure: Esophageal pressure-guided PEEP titration
PEEP titration guided by transpulmonary pressure measurements using esophageal manometry. Esophageal balloon catheter inserted within 4 hours of randomization, positioned at 35-40 cm depth with position verified by cardiac oscillations and occlusion test. PEEP titrated in 2 cmH2O increments targeting end-expiratory transpulmonary pressure 0-2 cmH2O, with option to target up to 8 cmH2O for severe hypoxemia (P/F <200). Safety limits enforced: transpulmonary driving pressure <15 cmH2O, end-inspiratory transpulmonary pressure <20 cmH2O. Measurements performed twice daily. Catheter removed at extubation or day 28.
Other Names:
  • Transpulmonary pressure-guided PEEP titration
  • Pes-guided PEEP management
Active Comparator: Standard of Care
PEEP management according to current standard practice. For patients meeting ARDS criteria, PEEP titrated using the ARDSNet PEEP/FiO2 table. For non-ARDS patients, PEEP titrated per local practice to optimize oxygenation while monitoring hemodynamic tolerance and respiratory mechanics. No esophageal pressure monitoring.
Other: Standard care PEEP management
PEEP management per institutional standard practice without esophageal pressure monitoring. For patients meeting ARDS criteria, PEEP titrated using ARDSNet low PEEP/FiO2 table. For non-ARDS patients, PEEP titrated to optimize oxygenation while monitoring hemodynamic tolerance and respiratory mechanics per treating clinician judgment.

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
Feasibility of conducting a definitive trial (composite)
Time Frame: 14 months
Composite feasibility assessment including: (1) Recruitment rate (patients enrolled per month, target 1-1.5/month); (2) Successful esophageal catheter placement rate in intervention arm; (3) Protocol adherence (percentage of scheduled transpulmonary pressure measurements completed, compliance with PEEP titration algorithm); (4) Data completeness for average PEEP over 7 days.
14 months

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
Average PEEP
Time Frame: 7 days
Key secondary endpoint. Mean positive end-expiratory pressure during mechanical ventilation
7 days
Driving Pressure
Time Frame: 7 days
Difference in driving pressure between groups
7 days
Partial oxygen pressure over inspired oxygen fraction ratio
Time Frame: 7 days
P/F ratio
7 days
Days alive and free of mechanical ventilation
Time Frame: Up to hospital discharge assessed up to 30 days
Days alive and free of mechanical ventilation
Up to hospital discharge assessed up to 30 days
Days alive and outside the intensive care unit
Time Frame: Up to hospital discharge assessed up to 30 days
Days alive and outside the intensive care unit
Up to hospital discharge assessed up to 30 days
Hospital Mortality
Time Frame: Up to hospital discharge assessed up to 30 days
Hospital Mortality
Up to hospital discharge assessed up to 30 days
Hemodynamics Instability
Time Frame: Up to 7 days
Hemodynamics Instability during PEEP Titration defined as a new start of vasopressors at any dose or an increase in vasopressor dose by 20%
Up to 7 days

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
Catheter-related complications
Time Frame: 7 days
Occurrence of esophageal catheter complications (perforation, bleeding)
7 days

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.
University of Alberta

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.
February 5, 2026

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.
December 31, 2026

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.
January 1, 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).
January 5, 2026

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.
January 13, 2026

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.
January 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
April 13, 2026

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.
April 7, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • Pro00154874

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Time Frame

After publication

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Anonymized data may be shared after discussion with study steering committee, approval from ethics from University of Alberta, and establishment of data sharing agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

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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