Could sitting up help ARDS patients breathe easier?
NCT ID NCT07025421
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This pilot study tests whether placing ARDS patients in an upright position in bed can improve their breathing while on a ventilator. Forty adults with ARDS will be randomly assigned to either upright positioning or standard head-of-bed elevation. The main goal is to see if upright positioning changes tidal volume, a measure of how much air the lungs hold.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Upright bed positioning
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, non-drug way to improve breathing for ARDS patients on ventilators.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early pilot study with only 40 people. It may not show clear benefits, and results may not apply to all ARDS patients.
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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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 to 80 years
- 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: \- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Exclusion Criteria: * Cancer * Active tracheostomy
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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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University of Alabama at Birmingham
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35223, United States
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