Can an app outsmart doctors at setting ventilators after heart surgery?
NCT ID NCT06826794
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a digital tool called VentilO can help set breathing machines better than doctors alone for patients just out of heart surgery. 76 adults will be randomly assigned to have their ventilator settings chosen by either a clinician or the VentilO app. The goal is to see which approach leads to fewer breathing problems, like respiratory acidosis, in the intensive care unit.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- VentilO application (a digital tool to recommend ventilator settings)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple digital tool that helps doctors set ventilators more accurately after heart surgery, potentially reducing breathing complications.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 76 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The app's recommendations might not outperform doctors in real-world settings.
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 76 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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: * Adults (\> 18 years old) * Intubated patients admitted to intensive care immediately post-operatively after cardiac surgery (all cardiac surgery combined) * Ventilation in controlled mode (Assist Control or SIMV) Exclusion Criteria: * Absence of anthropometric data (height and weight) of patients available in the patient file * Respiratory cycles mainly spontaneous on arrival * Patient extubated on arrival in intensive care
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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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Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec - Université Laval
RECRUITINGQuébec, Quebec, G1V4G5, Canada
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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