Miniature In-line Respirator

First-In-Human Trial of Miniature In-Line, Pressure-Cycled, Emergency Respirator Device in Human Organ Donors

This first-in-human pilot study will test an investigational miniature breathing device called the Hope inVent. The device is a small, single-use, in-line respirator that connects to a breathing tube and uses compressed oxygen to help move air in and out of the lungs. It has no moving parts and is designed to provide short-term breathing support in situations where standard ventilators may not be available, such as emergencies, disasters, battlefield settings, transport, or ventilator shortages.

The study will enroll up to 5 brain-dead organ donors who are already receiving mechanical ventilation at the Gift of Life Donor Care Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Donors will only be included after authorization for organ donation and research has been obtained through standard procedures. Donors who may donate lungs or who have significant lung disease will not be included.

During the study, investigators will briefly replace the standard ventilator with the Hope inVent device for up to 15 minutes. The standard ventilator will remain immediately available, and the donor will be continuously monitored by the clinical and research teams. Investigators will measure whether the device can maintain acceptable breathing measures, including oxygen level and carbon dioxide level. They will also record breathing pressures and tidal volume, which is the amount of air delivered with each breath. If the device does not perform as expected or if any safety concern occurs, the donor will be returned immediately to the standard ventilator.

There is no direct benefit to the organ donor. Information from this study may help determine whether this type of simple, low-cost breathing device could be useful for future patients who need emergency or short-term ventilator support when standard ventilators are not available.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Brain Death; Respiration, Artificial
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Hope inVent

Detailed Description

Study Description:

Proof of Concept pilot study to support use of a miniature in-line patient respirator for patient ventilation needs.

Objectives:

Primary Objective:

To assess the effectiveness of the miniature respirator to ventilate intubated braindead research donors while maintaining respiratory measures within acceptable range.

Secondary Objective

The miniature respirator performs as designed and tested in a lung simulator.

Endpoints:

Primary Endpoint:

A binary variable equal to 1 ("success") if both of the following criteria are met (during the placement of the test device):

1. the respirator maintains the end tidal CO(2) between 35- and 45-mm Hg;

   and

2. the O(2) saturation measured by pulse oximetry is > 94%.

Otherwise, the primary endpoint is equal to 0 ("failure").

Secondary Endpoints:

Binary variables equal to 1 ("success") if tidal volume and airway pressure settings (PEEP and maximum peak airway pressure) are within 30% of predicted values. Otherwise, the secondary endpoints are equal to 0 ("failure").

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 5
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Tracy S Williams, R.N.; Phone Number: (301) 448-5366; Email: tracy.williams@nih.gov
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Andrew J Mannes, M.D.; Phone Number: (301) 594-3427; Email: amannes@cc.nih.gov

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
      • Contact: Andrew Mannes, M.D.; Phone Number: 301-594-3427; Email: amannes@cc.nih.gov

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 1 year to 100 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

• INCLUSION CRITERIA

  1. Diagnosis of brain death
  2. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form for organ donation and research by donor family or surrogate decisionmaker.
  3. Male or female, with no age restriction (see size exclusion).
  4. Decedent transferred to the Gift of Life at Penn Medicine Donor Care Center (study site) for routine organ donor management and organ recovery procedures.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:

1. Brain-dead research donor will be excluded if their baseline CO(2) or pulse oximetry is out of the accepted range for the study (defined as end tidal CO(2) between 35- and 45-mm Hg and the O(2) saturation measured by pulse oximetry > 94%) while on optimized ventilation.

2. Brain-dead research donors with severe respiratory disease. This may include:

   • Bullous lung disease - noted on pre-op imaging or by history.
   • h/o pneumothoraces
   • h/o severe asthma, COPD, or other significant lung disease

3. Brain-dead research donors with morbid obesity (BMI >=40).

4. Brain-dead research donor body weight of < 25kg.

5. Potential Brain-dead lung transplant donors (as determined by Gift of Life Donor Program staff according to at the time of study site (Donor Care Center) admission)

6. Intraoperative arterial blood gas values outside the range of normal for pH, PaO2, PaCO2, HCO3, O2Sat as measured in pre-device ABG (while on optimized ventilation).

Acceptable range for Arterial Blood Gas (ABG values)

Parameter - pH / Range - 7.35-7.45

Parameter - PaO2 / Range - >=75 mm Hg

Parameter - PaCO2 / Range - 35-45 mm Hg

Parameter - HCO3 / Range - 22-26 mEq/L

Parameter - SpO2 / Range - 94-100

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Device Feasibility
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Hope inVent Miniature In-line Respirator; All enrolled brain-dead organ donors who meet eligibility criteria will receive the investigational Green Hope inVent miniature in-line, pressure-cycled respirator for up to 15 minutes. Respiratory and physiologic measures will be collected before device placement while the donor is on the standard mechanical ventilator and during use of the Hope inVent device. Each donor serves as their own control; there is no separate comparator arm. The standard ventilator will remain available, and donors will be returned to standard ventilation after testing or earlier if safety or performance criteria require.

Device: Hope inVent; The Hope inVent is an investigational, single-use, miniature in-line respirator designed to provide short-term ventilatory support for intubated individuals. The device is a 3D-printed, pressure-cycled, gas-powered respirator with no moving parts. It connects to the endotracheal tube breathing circuit and uses compressed oxygen as its power source. In this study, only the Green Hope inVent model will be used. The device cycles between fixed pressure settings: peak inspiratory pressure of 18 cm H2O and positive end-expiratory pressure of 6 cm H2O. Enrolled brain-dead research donors will be placed on the device once for up to 15 minutes, with continuous respiratory and physiologic monitoring. The donor will then be returned to the standard mechanical ventilator.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of donors with successful ventilation and oxygenation during Hope inVent testing.	Success is defined as maintaining both end-tidal carbon dioxide between 35 and 45 mm Hg and oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry greater than 94% during placement of the Hope inVent device. If either criterion is not met, or if device use is stopped early because of inadequate ventilation or oxygenation, the outcome is classified as failure.	During device use, from connection of the Hope inVent device to removal, up to 15 minutes.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of donors with tidal volume within 30% of predicted value	Tidal volume will be measured using an in-line respiratory monitor while the donor is ventilated with the Hope inVent device. Each donor will be classified as a success if tidal volume is within 30% of the protocol-specified predicted value; otherwise, the donor will be classified as a failure.	During device use, from connection of the Hope inVent device to removal, up to 15 minutes.
Proportion of donors with positive end-expiratory pressure within 30% of predicted value	Positive end-expiratory pressure will be measured using an in-line respiratory monitor during Hope inVent ventilation. Each donor will be classified as a success if positive end-expiratory pressure is within 30% of the protocol-specified predicted value; otherwise, the donor will be classified as a failure.	During device use, from connection of the Hope inVent device to removal, up to 15 minutes
Proportion of donors with maximum peak airway pressure within 30% of predicted value	Maximum peak airway pressure will be measured using an in-line respiratory monitor during Hope inVent ventilation. Each donor will be classified as a success if maximum peak airway pressure is within 30% of the protocol-specified predicted value; otherwise, the donor will be classified as a failure.	During device use, from connection of the Hope inVent device to removal, up to 15 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Andrew J Mannes, M.D., National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): November 9, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 14, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 14, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): August 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 4, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 3, 2026
• Last Verified: August 12, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Hope inVent Respirator; Miniature In-line Respirator; Pressure-Cycled Ventilation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Respiration Disorders; Death; Consciousness Disorders; Unconsciousness; Coma; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Respiratory Aspiration; Brain Death
• Other Study ID Numbers: 10002654; 002654-CC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified or anonymized individual donor-level data may be shared with collaborating investigators or institutions at NIH, the University of Pennsylvania, or outside institutions, and/or submitted to NIH-designated databases, consistent with donor authorization, applicable IRB approvals, NIH policies, and federal regulations. Shared data will not include direct identifiers. If coded data are shared, the code key will not be provided to collaborators. No biospecimens will be stored or shared for future use.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

De-identified or anonymized individual participant data and supporting information may become available after publication of the primary study results or posting of summary results on ClinicalTrials.gov, subject to applicable consent/authorization, IRB approvals, data-use agreements, and NIH/federal requirements.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

De-identified or anonymized donor-level data may be shared with qualified investigators at NIH, the University of Pennsylvania, or other institutions upon written request to the Principal Investigator. Requests must describe the proposed scientific use, such as analyses of device performance, respiratory/physiologic outcomes, safety, or related protocol objectives. Requests will be reviewed by the study team/sponsor and shared only as permitted by donor authorization, IRB approvals, institutional policies, data-use or collaboration agreements, and NIH/federal requirements. Data may be shared with investigators/institutions with a Federalwide Assurance or operating under the Declaration of Helsinki; other sharing will require prospective IRB approval. Data may be transferred securely or submitted to an NIH-designated database. Direct identifiers and code keys will not be shared.

• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No