The Accuracy of Combined Parasternal Intercostal Muscle Thickening Fraction and Diaphragmatic Excursion in Predicting Failure of Libration From Mechanical Ventilation

September 17, 2026 updated by: Gehad Ahmed Mohamed Amer, Cairo University

The Accuracy of Combined Parasternal Intercostal Muscle Thickening Fraction and Diaphragmatic Excursion in Predicting Failure of Libration From Mechanical Ventilation: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Approximately 20% of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) experience difficulty and prolonged weaning. Early spontaneous breathing trials (SBT) and timely extubation are essential to avoid complications such as diaphragmatic dysfunction, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and airway trauma.

Mechanical ventilation is a vital supportive therapy in critical care. However, both delayed weaning and premature discontinuation are associated with poor outcomes and prolonged ICU stay. Prolonged MV may lead to complications including respiratory muscle dysfunction, ventilator-associated lung injury, and increased healthcare costs, emphasizing the importance of optimal timing of weaning.

Ultrasonography (US) has emerged as a rapid, non-invasive bedside tool for real-time assessment of respiratory muscle function. It allows evaluation of muscle thickness and contractility, aiding in the detection of diaphragmatic dysfunction.

In cases of diaphragmatic impairment, accessory respiratory muscles, particularly the parasternal intercostal muscles, play a compensatory role. Measurement of parasternal intercostal muscle thickness fraction (PICTF%) has been proposed as a predictor of weaning failure.

Additionally, composite indices such as the rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) and compliance, rate, oxygenation, and pressure (CROP) index are widely used to assess weaning readiness. A recently proposed composite index combining PICTF (>9%) and diaphragmatic excursion (<15 mm) demonstrated high predictive value for failure of non-invasive ventilation.

Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this novel composite index in predicting weaning failure in mechanically ventilated patients.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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.

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.
Observational

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.
70

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

N/A

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

  • All the patients with difficulty in obtaining an appropriate ultrasound window (diaphragmatic paralysis/injury, ascites, thoracotomy, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, flail chest, and rib fractures).
  • Neuromuscular diseases.
  • Severe head injury.
  • Pregnant and lactating women.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years old.
  • Both sexes.
  • Patients who have been mechanically ventilated for more than 48 h.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • All the patients with difficulty in obtaining an appropriate ultrasound window (diaphragmatic paralysis/injury, ascites, thoracotomy, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, flail chest, and rib fractures).
  • Neuromuscular diseases.
  • Severe head injury.
  • Pregnant and lactating women.

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

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
Ability of a combined PICTF% and diaphragmatic excursion to predict weaning failure .
Time Frame: 5minutes after spontaneous breathing trail and after 5minutes of spontaneous breathing trail
Parasternal intercostal muscle thickening fraction (%) measured by ultrasound at 5 minutes after the start of the spontaneous breathing trial to evaluate its ability to predict weaning failure and diaphragmatic excursion
5minutes after spontaneous breathing trail and after 5minutes of spontaneous breathing trail

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
Time Frame
• Difference between PICTF % at 5 and 60 min OF SBT. • RSBI at 5and 60 min of SBT. • Correlation between PICTF% and RSBI Diaphragmatic excursion
Time Frame: at 5 mintues of spontanous breathing trail and at 60 minutes
at 5 mintues of spontanous breathing trail and at 60 minutes

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.
Cairo 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 (Estimated)

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.
September 1, 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.
January 1, 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.
June 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).
February 22, 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.
July 10, 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.
July 14, 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.
September 18, 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.
September 17, 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.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • md-461-2024

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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