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100 active trials for Respiratory Failure

Stress Related Disorders in Family Members of COVID-19 Patients Admitted to the ICU

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This syndrome has been associated with high mortality, estimated to be about 1.7% of all infected in the US, though in those who develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the context of the infection, mortality rates appear to be much higher, perhaps up to 70%. To avoid transmission of the virus, patient isolation has become the standard of care, with many hospitals eliminating visitors of any type, and particularly eliminating visitation to patients infected with COVID-19. These necessary, but restrictive, measures add stress to the ICU and particularly to the family members who are not only left with fear, but also many unanswered questions. In contrast to the Society of Critical Care Guidelines (SCCM) which recommend family engagement in the ICU and recent data from this study team which suggests engaging families in end-of-life situations reduces symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in family members, family members are now unable to say good-bye and unable to provide support to their loved-one throughout the process of the patients' ICU stay. The study hypothesizes is that these restrictive visiting regulations will increase rates of Post-intensive care syndrome- family (PICS-F) which includes symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety and aim to evaluate for factors that either exacerbate these symptoms or protect from them.

Start: June 2020
Analysis of Endotoxin Activity in Patients With ECMO

Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can temporarily help patients gain time to wait for cardiopulmonary recovery or further treatment in patients with cardiopulmonary failure. Whether the blood flow provided by the ECMO can maintain the perfusion of various organs is an important factor affecting survival. Some ECMO patients died after the complication of sepsis. Our previous pilot analysis has recognized several ECMO patients with complicated sepsis has high endotoxin activity level. Endotoxemia can also occur in heart surgery and after cardiopulmonary bypass, trauma, organ transplantation, and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. These trials used endotoxin activity analysis (EAA, EAATM, Spectral Diagnostics Inc., Canada) to analyze endotoxin activity. In addition, studies have indicated that the combination of procalcitonin (PCT) concentration and EAA activity can improve the accuracy of predicting sepsis. The primary aim of this study is to detect endotoxin activity in patients with ECMO support and compare whether the prognosis was associated with different level of EAA activity. The secondary aims are to analyze the risk factors leading to high EAA activity and investigate the diagnostic value of septic shock combining PCT examination. We suggest that the results of this study may help the ECMO medical team identify patients at high risk for septic shock and conduct adequate managements to improve patient survival and quality of life after survival.

Start: August 2019