Man's best friend may soon visit the ICU: feasibility study launches
NCT ID NCT07159568
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether it's practical and safe for ICU patients to have short visits from their own pet dogs. Researchers will test this with 21 adult patients in three ICUs in France. The dog can stay for up to 15 minutes, and staff will check for any problems. The goal is to see if such visits can become a regular option to help patients feel better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Pet dog visit
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could pave the way for pet visits in ICUs, potentially improving patient well-being and comfort during a stressful hospital stay.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small feasibility study with only 21 participants, so results may not apply widely. There are risks like infection or accidental dislodgement of medical equipment.
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 21 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Oct 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: * Adult patient aged 18 years or older, * Admitted to one of the participating ICUs at Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital (Estaing Adult ICU, Montpied Medical-Surgical ICU, or Montpied Neuro-ICU) with an expected ICU stay of 48 hours or more, * Owner of a companion dog, with family members or relatives able to bring the dog to the ICU. Exclusion Criteria: Patient-related exclusion criteria: * Refusal by the patient or by their family/relatives to participate, * Lack of affiliation with the French national health insurance system (Sécurité Sociale), * Patient deprived of liberty or under legal protection (guardianship, curatorship, or judicial safeguard), * Pregnant or breastfeeding patient, * Agitated patient, defined as a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) score \> 0 (monitored every four hours according to current standard practice), * Patient with immunosuppression, defined as: blood neutrophil count \< 0.5 G/L, ongoing or recent (within the past month) treatment for solid or hematologic cancer (e.g., chemotherapy, radiotherapy, cell therapy), or receiving immunosuppressive drugs (including organ transplant recipients or corticosteroid therapy for more than two weeks), * Patient with known colonization by multidrug-resistant bacteria (as routinely assessed upon ICU admission and weekly thereafter), * Patient with one or more open wounds or injuries that cannot be covered with a dressing. Dog-related exclusion criteria: * Dog belonging to category 1 or 2 breeds considered dangerous under current French regulations, * Dog that never leaves the home environment, * Dog with an incomplete vaccination status, * Dog with a known transmissible disease.
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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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CHU Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand, France
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