Ancient herbs vs. superbugs: can TCM prevent repeat pneumonia?
NCT ID NCT07726095
First seen Jul 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 29, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study follows over 500 hospitalized adults with drug-resistant bacterial pneumonia to see whether those who receive systemic traditional Chinese medicine (such as herbal decoctions or injections) have fewer lower respiratory tract infections in the six months after leaving the hospital. Researchers will also track mortality, rehospitalization, bacterial clearance, and quality of life. The goal is to explore whether adding TCM to standard care might help control these hard-to-treat infections.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- systemic traditional Chinese medicine (Chinese herbal decoctions, oral Chinese patent medicines, or Chinese medicine injections)
- What this could lead to
- If systemic TCM is linked to fewer respiratory infections after hospital discharge, it could offer a complementary approach for managing drug-resistant pneumonia.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a controlled trial, so it cannot prove cause and effect. Results may be influenced by differences in patient care or underlying health.
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
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About 528 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
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.
Who is studied
Hospitalized adults with clinically diagnosed pneumonia and microbiologically confirmed multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens will be enrolled from participating centers. Eligible participants may include patients with community-acquired pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, or ventilator-associated pneumonia. Multidrug-resistant bacterial pneumonia will be defined as pneumonia in which at least one bacterial isolate demonstrates acquired non-susceptibility to at least one antimicrobial agent in each of three or more antimicrobial categories, as determined by standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The isolate must be considered a causative pathogen of the current pneumonia episode rather than colonization or contamination, based on clinical manifestations, imaging findings, microbiological results, and the available clinical course.
- 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 1. Hospitalized patients aged 18 years or older with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia. 2. Microbiological testing identifies at least one bacterial isolate that meets the definition of multidrug resistance, defined as acquired non-susceptibility to at least one antimicrobial agent in each of three or more antimicrobial categories, based on standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing. 3. The multidrug-resistant bacterial isolate is judged to be a causative pathogen of the current pneumonia episode rather than colonization or contamination, based on clinical manifestations, imaging findings, microbiological results, and the clinical course. 4. Willing to participate in the study and able to provide written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1\. Patients who are unable to complete data collection due to unconsciousness, dementia, impaired consciousness, psychiatric illness, or other conditions, and for whom relevant information cannot be obtained through a legally authorized representative or family member.
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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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First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, China
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