Can a simple saline wash clear stubborn chest infections?
NCT ID NCT06727578
First seen Aug 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot trial tests whether a new irrigation device can safely and effectively wash out retained pleural infections using saline. The study enrolls 10 people who have a chest tube in place but cannot receive standard enzyme therapy. Researchers will use bedside ultrasound to measure whether the fluid buildup shrinks over five days.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A novel irrigation device (CLR irrigator) used with saline to wash out retained pleural infection through a chest tube.
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this device could offer a treatment option for people with retained pleural infections who cannot receive standard enzyme therapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 10 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The device is new, and safety and effectiveness are not yet proven.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Retained pleural effusion identified via bedside ultrasound within the first 24 hours after chest tube insertion * Patient is contraindicated from receiving intrapleural enzymatic therapy within the first 24 hours after chest tube insertion Exclusion Criteria: * Non-infectious cause of pleural fluid analysis findings listed above identified (e.g. malignancy) * Post-procedural empyema or complicated parapneumonic effusion
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
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