New monitoring tools could help doctors see how hard patients are working to breathe

NCT ID NCT07423338

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Queen Mary University of London Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study is testing whether two non-invasive tools—ultrasound and electrical impedance tomography (EIT)—can help doctors monitor breathing muscles in patients with acute respiratory failure who are using non-invasive breathing support. Up to 100 adults will be enrolled, with measurements taken up to seven times in the first 72 hours. The goal is to see if these tools are practical and useful for guiding treatment decisions in busy hospital settings.

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 better monitoring tools that help doctors make quicker decisions about adjusting breathing support for patients with respiratory failure.
What could go wrong: This is a small observational study with only 50 patients, so results may not apply to everyone. The tools are being tested for usability, not proven to improve outcomes yet.

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

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

About 50 people

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

Started

Feb 2026

Expected to finish

May 2027

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.

Ages

18 years and older

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: * Adult (≥18 years old) * with acute respiratory failure with hypoxia (i.e. arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) of \<8.0 kPa), and/or with or without hypercapnia (i.e. arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) of \>6.0 kPa) from any underlying disease or cause * requiring any non-invasive respiratory support (i.e. HFNO, CPAP, BiPAP) * Multidisciplinary critical care staff involved in the management of those recruited patients with acute respiratory failure requiring non-invasive respiratory supports. Staff will possibly have an interview and are also required to complete a questionnaire. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients in respiratory arrest defined as the total cessation of airflow and breathing effort and absent ventilation (24,25) * Patients requiring immediate intubation * Patients with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) \< 8 * Patients with severe facial trauma or burns * Patients with fixed upper airway obstruction or inability to protect the airway * Patients with severe agitation and/or confusion that prevent use of the device mask * Patients with severe vomiting * Pregnancy * Patients with pacemakers and other electronic devices in the thorax * Patients on end-of-life care or palliative care (defined as expected to die and/or not receiving active treatment) * Contra-indication to EIT or ultrasound monitoring (e.g. burns, severe obesity, thoracic wounds limiting instrument placement, and thoracic drain)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

acute respiratory failure

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) Non invasive ventilation

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names. We don't republish those.

Open the record ↗
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.

New monitoring tools could help doctors see how hard patients are working to breathe

What the study statuses mean