Assessing Diaphragm Muscle Inactivity in Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients (DIVIP)

Background: Mechanical ventilation is a life saving intervention in patients with acute respiratory failure, for instance, due to infection or trauma. The main goals of mechanical ventilation are to improve oxygenation and decrease the load imposed on the respiratory muscles. Unfortunately, mechanical ventilation comes with adverse events including disuse atrophy and weakness of the respiratory muscles. The diaphragm is the main muscle for inspiration and therefore this clinical entity is commonly referred to as ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction (VIDD). Several studies have shown that inspiratory muscle weakness is associated with adverse outcomes, including prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation. Inactivity or disuse is a recognized risk factor for the development of VIDD: disuse may result from excessive unloading of the diaphragm by the ventilator. Therefore, clinicians aim to limit the risk of VIDD by using ventilator modes that allow patients to perform at least part of the total work of breathing when deemed clinically appropriate. However, even when these so-called assisted modes for ventilation are used, excessive unloading of the diaphragm may occur; without using technology that allows monitoring of diaphragm function, the clinician is often uncertain as to whether this muscle is indeed actively working. Continuous recording of the electrical activity of the diaphragm (EAdi) is used to monitor diaphragm muscle activity in ICU patients. Furthermore, sonographic measurements of diaphragm thickness allows for an easy quantification of diaphragmatic activity (thickening fraction) as well as providing a potentially useful mechanism for studying diaphragm injury and function during mechanical ventilation.

Aim: To assess the duration of diaphragm muscle inactivity in patients admitted to the ICU using EAdi monitoring and to assess the correlation between diaphragm thicknening fraction, as measured by ultrasound, and electrical activity, as measured by EAdi.

Hypothesis: Diaphragm muscle inactivity frequently occurs in the early phase of ICU admission Design: Observational pilot study in ventilated adult ICU patients admitted to the ICU at St Michael's Hospital. The investigators aim to enroll 75 patients.

Primary outcome: Time from catheter positioning to first EAdi (> 5 uV last at least 5 minutes)

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Respiratory Insufficiency

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 75

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1W8
      • St. Michael's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients admitted to the ICU in whom the attending clinician has decided to insert the dedicated feeding tube (EAdi catheter) in the ICU or < 12 hours before admission

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient admitted to the ICU
• Intubation in the ICU or < 12 hours before admission
• Expected duration of mechanical ventilation > 48 h
• Edi monitoring tube / catheter in situ by the clinical team

Non-inclusion Criteria:

• Anticipated removal of EAdi tube within 48 hours of ICU admission (e.g., for MRI, for endoscopic intervention)
• High risk for intracranial hypertension or proven intracranial hypertension due to severe neurotrauma or substantial intracranial hemorrhage because these patients will likely need Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This can be discussed on a case-by-case basis based on the severity and initial findings
• Lack of Servo-i NAVA capable ventilator, lack of EAdi catheter

Exclusion Criteria:

• Phrenic nerve lesions (past medical history)
• Contraindications to the insertion of a naso- or oro-gastric (feeding) tube
• Patients already intubated for > 12 hours

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time from catheter positioning to first EAdi signal	> 5uV lasting at least 5 minutes	Up to 5 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Time from endotracheal intubation to first EAdi signal	Up to 5 days
Time from catheter positioning until 24 hours of continuous EAdi signal	Up to 5 days
Number of patients without EAdi signal in the first 72 hours after intubation	Up to 3 days
Patient-ventilator interaction assessed by EAdi	Up to 5 days
Clinical characteristics associated with diaphragm inactivity	Up to 5 days
Correlation between diaphragm muscle thickness and diaphragm thickening fraction	Up to 5 days

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Correlation between the electrical activity of the diaphragm and diaphragm and intercostal thickening fraction	Up to 5 days
Correlation between thickening fraction of the intercostal muscles and of the diaphragm	Up to 5 days
Changes in diaphragm and intercostal muscle thickness over time	Up to 5 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Unity Health Toronto
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Laurent J. Brochard, MD, Unity Health Toronto

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• De Jonghe B, Bastuji-Garin S, Durand MC, Malissin I, Rodrigues P, Cerf C, Outin H, Sharshar T; Groupe de Reflexion et d'Etude des Neuromyopathies en Reanimation. Respiratory weakness is associated with limb weakness and delayed weaning in critical illness. Crit Care Med. 2007 Sep;35(9):2007-15. doi: 10.1097/01.ccm.0000281450.01881.d8.
• Jaber S, Petrof BJ, Jung B, Chanques G, Berthet JP, Rabuel C, Bouyabrine H, Courouble P, Koechlin-Ramonatxo C, Sebbane M, Similowski T, Scheuermann V, Mebazaa A, Capdevila X, Mornet D, Mercier J, Lacampagne A, Philips A, Matecki S. Rapidly progressive diaphragmatic weakness and injury during mechanical ventilation in humans. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Feb 1;183(3):364-71. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201004-0670OC. Epub 2010 Sep 2.
• Levine S, Nguyen T, Taylor N, Friscia ME, Budak MT, Rothenberg P, Zhu J, Sachdeva R, Sonnad S, Kaiser LR, Rubinstein NA, Powers SK, Shrager JB. Rapid disuse atrophy of diaphragm fibers in mechanically ventilated humans. N Engl J Med. 2008 Mar 27;358(13):1327-35. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa070447.
• Sassoon CS, Zhu E, Caiozzo VJ. Assist-control mechanical ventilation attenuates ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004 Sep 15;170(6):626-32. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200401-042OC. Epub 2004 Jun 16.
• Doorduin J, van Hees HW, van der Hoeven JG, Heunks LM. Monitoring of the respiratory muscles in the critically ill. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2013 Jan 1;187(1):20-7. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201206-1117CP. Epub 2012 Oct 26.
• Heunks LM, Doorduin J, van der Hoeven JG. Monitoring and preventing diaphragm injury. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2015 Feb;21(1):34-41. doi: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000000168.
• Sinderby C, Navalesi P, Beck J, Skrobik Y, Comtois N, Friberg S, Gottfried SB, Lindstrom L. Neural control of mechanical ventilation in respiratory failure. Nat Med. 1999 Dec;5(12):1433-6. doi: 10.1038/71012. No abstract available.
• Sklar MC, Madotto F, Jonkman A, Rauseo M, Soliman I, Damiani LF, Telias I, Dubo S, Chen L, Rittayamai N, Chen GQ, Goligher EC, Dres M, Coudroy R, Pham T, Artigas RM, Friedrich JO, Sinderby C, Heunks L, Brochard L. Duration of diaphragmatic inactivity after endotracheal intubation of critically ill patients. Crit Care. 2021 Jan 11;25(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s13054-020-03435-y.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 27, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): May 5, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 12, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 11, 2018
• Last Verified: April 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Diaphragm; Mechanical ventilation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Respiratory Insufficiency
• Other Study ID Numbers: REB #15-073