Could inhaled gas help ventilator patients beat pneumonia?
NCT ID NCT06950294
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether high doses of inhaled nitric oxide gas are safe and potentially helpful for critically ill pneumonia patients on breathing machines. About 34 adults will receive either the gas or a sham treatment for 5 days. Researchers will monitor blood oxygen levels and recovery rates over 60 days.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- inhaled nitric oxide gas
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment to help critically ill pneumonia patients recover faster.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small pilot study with only 34 participants. It primarily measures safety (methemoglobin levels), not yet proven to improve outcomes. High-dose nitric oxide can cause methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder.
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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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 34 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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: * 18 years or older * Intubated and mechanically ventilated * Within 72h of diagnosis of community- or hospital-acquired pneumonia * Written informed consent obtained from patients or legally authorized representatives Exclusion Criteria: * Baseline methemoglobin 3% or higher * Genetic diseases including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, cytochrome b5 reductase deficiency, sickle cell disease * Oxygen saturation \< 88% on 100% inspired fraction of oxygen * Anemia with hemoglobin \< 7.0 g/dl * Acute cardiogenic shock requiring inotropic or mechanical support with an ejection fraction less than 20% * Receiving inhaled NO therapy or decision to initiate inhaled NO therapy within 24 hours post randomization * A decision to do-not-resuscitate (DNR) * Enrollment in another experimental antimicrobial treatment protocol * Patients for whom follow-up is expected to be impossible
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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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Massachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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