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Can a simple saline flush boost treatment for stubborn lung infections?

NCT ID NCT06713382

Disease control Sponsor: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026

Summary

This trial tests whether adding saline irrigation to standard care helps clear infected fluid in the chest cavity, a condition called retained pleural infection. Adults with this infection who already have a chest tube will either receive standard treatment alone or standard treatment plus saline flushes through the tube after each enzyme therapy session. Researchers will compare how much fluid drains, how long the tube stays in, hospital stay length, and whether surgery becomes necessary. The goal is to see if this simple addition improves recovery without raising safety concerns.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
sterile saline solution given through a chest tube after each standard intrapleural tPA/DNase therapy session
What this could lead to
If it works, adding saline irrigation could help clear infected fluid faster, shorten hospital stays, and reduce the need for surgery in people with pleural infections.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage pilot study, so the added benefit may not hold up in larger trials. The extra irrigation could also raise the risk of discomfort or complications, though the study tracks safety closely.

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

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

About 96 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Apr 2025

Expected to finish

Jan 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

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: * Age ≥18 years. * Presence of purulent pleural fluid or pleural fluid analysis with any of the following: * pH ≤ 7.2. * Glucose \< 40 mg/dL. * LDH \> 1000 IU/L. * Presence of bacterial or fungal organisms on Gram stain or culture. * Chest tube placement with less than 200 mL drainage in 24 hours. * Indication for IPFT treatment based on treating physician's criteria. * Radiographic evidence of septations on chest ultrasound (US) or loculations on low-dose chest computed tomography (CT). Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to provide informed consent. * Pregnant patients. * Patients with significant comorbidities that may interfere with the study -outcomes (e.g., terminal malignancy). * Complicated sympathetic effusion. * Hepatic hydrothorax.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

pleural disorder Pleural Effusion pleural empyema

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Pleural effusion associated with pulmonary infection Pleural effusion disorder Pleural effusions

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

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