AMBU Bag Manual Ventilation vs. Transport Ventilator Mechanical Ventilation for Transport

Ventilation During Intensive Care Unit Transport After Cardiac Surgeries; When Should we Use a Ventilator?

This is a clinical trial to compare the oxygenation and ventilation performance between manual ventilation and mechanical ventilation when transporting cardiac patients to the ICU.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mechanical Ventilation; Point of Care Ultrasound; Oxygenation; Manual Ventilation; Cardiac Function Disturbance Postoperative
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Hamilton C1 ventilator during transport to the ICU

Detailed Description

Following cardiac surgery, patients often require ventilation during transport to the intensive care unit (ICU). Most of the time, manual ventilation using an AMBU bag (AMBU INC. MD, USA) is utilized, but some patients need mechanical ventilation due to concern for oxygenation, ventilation, and hemodynamics. The indication to choose mechanical ventilation over manual ventilation is determined on a case-by-case basis, mostly based on providers' experiences or surgical request, because currently there is no clear clinical evidence behind that. With this clinical study, the investigators intend to build up clinical evidence by comparing oxygenation, ventilation, hemodynamics, and cardiac functions between two arms: manual ventilation using AMBU bag arm and mechanical ventilation using a transport ventilator.

Objective: In this study, the investigators plan to compare the effects of transport ventilators (Hamilton C1: Bodaduz, Schweiz) and AMBU bag manual ventilation on oxygenation, ventilation, biventricular function, and hemodynamics. This is a two-arm study.

1. To assess pre and post transport PaO2/FiO2 (P/F ratio), PaCO2, biventricular function, and mean artery pressure in the AMBU bag and Hamilton transport ventilator groups. The investigators hypothesize that using the Hamilton transport ventilator will show a smaller change in P/F ratio, mean artery blood pressures and biventricular function compared to the AMBU bag group. If true, these findings would support using the Hamilton ventilator for transport in appropriate surgical patients.
2. To perform "in-vitro" flow analysis using a flow analyzer analyzer (CITREX H5:

Buchs, Schweiz) and lung simulator (SmartLung 2000: Buchs, Schweiz) to measure the accuracy of the ventilations of Hamilton C1 ventilator and AMBU bag manual ventilation on different resistance and compliance settings of the lung simulator

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 78
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
      • Thomas Jefferson University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Over 18 years old (any gender or race)
• Cardiac surgery
• Require postoperative mechanical ventilation and care in the ICU.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients' refusal
• Extubation in OR
• On mechanical circulatory support
• Requirement for postoperative therapy with inhaled pulmonary vasodilators (epoprostenol (FLOLAN), inhaled nitric oxide, etc.)
• Severe RV dysfunction with preoperative echocardiography
• Contraindication to TEE and pulmonary artery catheter.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Arm 1: AMBU bag manual ventilation during transport to the ICU
Experimental: Arm 2: Hamilton C1 ventilator during transport to the ICU	Device: Hamilton C1 ventilator during transport to the ICU; Instead of AMBU bag manual ventilation during transport to the ICU, intervention is using Hamilton C1 ventilator during transport to the ICU

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The % Change in Mean Artery Blood Pressure	The % change in mean artery blood pressure before and after the transport to the ICU. i.e. (post-transport measurement - pre-transport measurement)/pre-transport measurement x100 (%)	Pre-transport hemodynamic values were averaged from the final three readings (taken at 1-min intervals) before switching to the transport monitor, and post-transport readings were recorded immediately after transfer to the ICU monitor.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The % Changes in PaO2/FiO2 (P/F Ratio)	The % changes in PaO2/FiO2 (P/F ratio) pre and post transport to ICU. P/F ratio will be assessed on arterial blood gas immediately before and after the transport to ICU, at the same time as the investigators do echocardiographic assessment as described above. i.e. (post-transport measurement - pre-transport measurement)/pre-transport measurement x100 (%)	First aortic blood gas analysis Immediately before transport to ICU till the second arterial blood gas analysis after dropping off the patient at ICU; approximately 30 minutes after the first visual assessment.
The % Change in PaCO2	The % changes in PaCO2 pre and post transport to ICU. PaCO2 will be assessed on arterial blood gas immediately before and after the transport to ICU, at the same time as the investigators do echocardiographic assessment as described above. i.e. (post-transport measurement - pre-transport measurement)/pre-transport measurement x100 (%)	First aortic blood gas analysis Immediately before transport to ICU till the second arterial blood gas analysis after dropping off the patient at ICU; approximately 30 minutes after the first visual assessment.
The Visual Scale in Changes in Left Ventricular Function	Within-group and between-group changes in visual assessment of left ventricular function parameters before and after transport (1: severe hypokinetic, 2: moderate hypokinetic, 3: mild hypokinetic, 4: normal, 5: hyperdynamic)	First visual assessment of left ventricular function Immediately before transport to ICU till the second visual assessment after dropping off the patient at ICU; approximately 30 minutes after the first visual assessment.
The Visual Scale in Changes in Right Ventricular Function	Within-group and between-group changes in visual assessment of right ventricular cardiac function parameters before and after transport (1: severe hypokinetic, 2: moderate hypokinetic, 3: mild hypokinetic, 4: normal, 5: hyperdynamic)	First visual assessment of right ventricular function Immediately before transport to ICU till the second visual assessment after dropping off the patient at ICU; approximately 30 minutes after the first visual assessment.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Thomas Jefferson University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 9, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): April 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 6, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 21, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 23, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 3, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 31, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ventilator; point of care ultrasound; transport
• Other Study ID Numbers: iRISID-2022-1315

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No