Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Simple Face-Down position may keep COVID-19 patients off ventilators

NCT ID NCT04358939

Symptom relief Sponsor: University Hospital, Tours Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether having conscious COVID-19 patients with breathing problems lie face down (prone position) while on high-flow oxygen could reduce the need for a breathing tube. Over 400 adults with COVID-19 pneumonia and mild to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome took part. The goal was to see if this simple positioning technique could improve outcomes and ease pressure on intensive care units.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
prone positioning
What this could lead to
If it works, this simple technique could reduce the need for intubation and free up critical care resources during COVID-19 surges.
What could go wrong
This is a completed trial, but results may not apply to all patients or future variants. The intervention is supportive, not a cure, and some patients may still require intubation.

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

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

405 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2020

Finished

Feb 2021

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patient * with COVID-19 pneumonia according to the diagnostic criteria in effect at the time of inclusion or very highly suspected. * Patient treated with nasal high-flow * Mild, moderate or severe ARDS: bilateral radiological opacities not fully explained by effusions, atelectasis or nodules; acute hypoxemia with worsening within the previous 7 days, not fully explained by left ventricular failure; PaO2/FiO2 ratio \< 300 mmHg (or equivalent SpO2/FiO2). * Covered by or having the rights to French social security * Informed Consent Exclusion Criteria: Pregnant or breastfeeding woman * Indication for immediate tracheal intubation * Progressive significant acute circulatory insufficiency * Impaired alertness, confusion, restlessness * Body mass index \> 40 kg/m2 * Thoracic trauma or other contraindication to prone position * Pneumothorax with single anterior thoracic drain and persistent bubbling * Vulnerable person: safeguard of justice, guardianship or authorship known at inclusion

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Acute respiratory distress syndrome are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

acute respiratory distress syndrome adult acute respiratory distress syndrome COVID-19

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome COVID-19

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Intensive Care Unit, Hospital,

    Blois, 41016, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, Argenteuil

    Argenteuil, 95100, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, Dax

    Dax, 40107, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, La Roche-sur-Yon

    La Roche-sur-Yon, 85925, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, Le Mans

    Le Mans, 72037, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, Valence

    Valence, 26953, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, Vannes

    Vannes, 56017, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, Louis Mourier-APHP

    Colombes, 92700, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Aix

    Aix-en-Provence, 13616, France

  • Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Lille

    Lille, 59037, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, Béthune

    Béthune, 62408, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital, Orléans

    Orléans, 45067, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, Tenon-APHP

    Paris, 75020, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Amiens

    Amiens, 80054, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Brest

    Brest, 29609, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Caen

    Caen, 14033, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Dijon

    Dijon, 21033, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Grenoble

    Grenoble, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Nancy

    Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, 54511, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Nantes

    Nantes, 44093, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Nice

    Nice, 06202, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Poitiers

    Poitiers, 86021, France

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Tours

    Tours, 37044, France

  • Surgical Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Tours

    Tours, 37170, France

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.