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Can ultrasound reveal hidden stomach issues in ECMO patients?

NCT ID NCT07779174

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 21, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026

Summary

This observational study looks at whether critically ill adults on ECMO—a machine that supports heart and lung function—experience delayed stomach emptying more often than those on a breathing machine only. Researchers will measure stomach emptying using bedside methods like ultrasound and residual volume checks, and in a smaller group, compare these with a standard scan. The goal is to find the most reliable bedside way to detect slow stomach emptying, which could help improve nutrition care in 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
Gastric ultrasound and residual volume measurements, with scintigraphy in a subgroup
What this could lead to
Could improve bedside detection of slow stomach emptying in ICU patients on ECMO, potentially guiding better nutrition support.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, so it won't test a treatment. Results may not apply to all ICU patients, and measurements may vary.

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.

Participants

About 72 people

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

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jun 2028

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.

Who is studied

Patients receiving mechanical ventilation (including those receiving ECMO) admitted to the Guy's \& St Thomas' Adult ICUs during the study period will be screened consecutively for eligibility against the inclusion / exclusion criteria. Eligibility screening will be done using the electronic healthcare record within 72 hours of admission to the participating ICU. All patients meeting all of the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria will be approached for consent and considered for recruitment if logistically feasible (i.e. if a trained staff member is available on site to undertake the gastric ultrasound/scintigraphy measurements). The total target sample size for this study is 72 patients (36 receiving ECMO; 36 not receiving ECMO).

Ages

18 to 80 years

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 (non-ECMO group): * Within 72 hours of Guy's \& St Thomas' ICU admission * Mechanically ventilated adults (≥18 years) * Receiving enteral nutrition (liquid nutrition) via a gastric (nasogastric or orogastric) feeding tube * Informed consent / advice for participation by consultee * Availability of study investigator or other trained healthcare professional on site to complete gastric emptying (stomach emptying) measurements * INCLUSION CRITERIA (ECMO group): * Within 72 hours of Guy's \& St Thomas' ICU admission * Mechanically ventilated adults (≥18 years) * Receiving enteral nutrition (liquid nutrition) via a gastric (nasogastric or orogastric) feeding tube * Informed consent / advice for participation by consultee * Availability of study investigator or other trained healthcare professional on site to complete gastric emptying (stomach emptying) measurements * Receiving either veno-venous or veno-arterial ECMO * EXCLUSION CRITERIA: * Pregnancy * History of gastroparesis (long-term slow stomach emptying) * Current acute or long-term gastrointestinal pathology (stomach or bowel problem) that may influence gastric emptying (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, pancreatic exocrine insufficiency) * Current contraindication to enteral nutrition (liquid nutrition) (e.g. clinical or radiological evidence of bowel obstruction, bowel ischaemia, ileus, upper gastrointestinal bleeding) * Enteral nutrition (liquid nutrition) through a gastrostomy, jejunostomy or nasojejunal feeding tube * Current or previous oesophageal, stomach or major small bowel surgery * Known anatomical abnormality of the stomach (e.g. hiatus hernia) * Pericardial / abdominal drains or surgical wounds obstructing site of ultrasound scanning * Nuclear medicine therapeutic administration, or diagnostic scintigraphy investigation in the previous 72 hours * Unlikely to survive or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment expected in the next 48 hours

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Critical Illness gastroparesis

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Critical illness Delayed gastric emptying Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) Gastric emptying

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

  • Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

    London, United Kingdom

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