New index could prevent ventilator Over-Assistance in ICU patients
NCT ID NCT06921655
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a new measure called the Pressure-Muscle Index (PMI) can help doctors set ventilators more precisely for ICU patients with acute breathing failure. The goal is to avoid giving too much breathing support, which can harm the diaphragm and lungs. Thirty-six patients will try different ventilator settings to see if PMI can identify the right level of support.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Variation of Pressure Support Levels (procedure)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a simple bedside method to personalize ventilator settings, reducing lung and diaphragm damage in ICU patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early crossover study with only 36 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The PMI index is still experimental and needs further validation.
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 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age ≥ 18 years 2. Mechanically ventilated in the ICU 3. Diagnosis of Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (AHRF) 4. Normocapnia or non-severe hypercapnia 5. Receiving Pressure Support Ventilation (PSV) for at least 24-72 hours 6. Presence of an arterial line for blood gas sampling Exclusion Criteria: 1. Age \< 18 years 2. Known neurological or neuromuscular disorders affecting diaphragm function 3. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or hypercapnic respiratory failure 4. Psychomotor agitation or inadequate sedation
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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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Santa Chiara Hospital, Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
RECRUITINGTrento, Trento, 38122, Italy
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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