Global experts aim to settle debate on ICU airway care
NCT ID NCT06649734
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study brings together 35 healthcare professionals from around the world to agree on the best methods for clearing mucus from the airways of intubated, critically ill patients. Using a Delphi process, experts will vote on statements about humidification, inhaled therapies, suctioning, and mucus mobilization techniques. The goal is to create international consensus where current guidelines are lacking.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to clearer, evidence-based guidelines for airway clearance in ventilated ICU patients, potentially improving outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a consensus-building study, not a treatment trial. The results depend on expert opinions and may not reflect definitive clinical evidence.
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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35 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2024
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- 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
Healthcare professionals representing ICU-nurses, respiratory therapists (or comparable version, based on local implementation), physiotherapists, ICU-physicians and pulmonologists with expertise in the field of invasively ventilated ICU patients.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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.
Healthcare professionals will be selected as panelists based on the following criteria: Inclusion criteria: * at least 5 years of clinical experience, with care for invasively ventilated patients (teaching and non-teaching); and * participation in development of a guideline or authorship of at least one peer reviewed published paper in airway care for invasive ventilated patients; and * not more than 70% of the panelists from each sex; and from each of high and low- and middle-income countries. Exclusion criteria: \- none Purposive sampling will be utilized to recruit panelists by reviewing recent publications in the field of airway care for invasive ventilated patients. Selection of panelists will be guided by predefined criteria, with deliberate efforts to ensure a balance in gender and geographical representation.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Amsterdam University Hospital
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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