University of Virginia
The purpose of this study is to find a better way to protect the lungs of patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) who are being treated with a mechanical ventilator in addition to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. ARDS is a serious lung condition that makes it hard to breathe. People with ARDS often need care in the intensive care unit (ICU) and can become very sick with high mortality rates despite optimal care. Doctors usually support patients with through ARDS with a breathing machine called a ventilator. The ventilator helps lungs imitate taking small breaths to help protect the lungs from more damage, however ventilator induced lung injury (VILI) can still contribute significantly to organ injury. For patients in whom a ventilator is not enough support due to the severity of their lung disease, veno-venous (VV) ECMO can fully support the lungs while they recover. In these sickest patients, it is important to avoid causing more lung damage with the ventilator. Protecting the lungs may help them heal faster and may also help protect other parts of the body. More people are now being treated with VV ECMO, but there is still not enough research to know which ventilator settings are safest and work best. Most current recommendations are based on doctors' experience instead of research studies. This study will help researchers learn the best way to use ventilators for patients on VV ECMO and improve their recovery.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common intensive care unit (ICU) admission diagnosis with mortality nearing 50% in severe cases. Traditional management focuses on lung protective ventilation consisting of low tidal volumes while limiting plateau and driving pressures. Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is a guideline recommended intervention for patients with severe ARDS refractory to other interventions. The optimal lung protective ventilation strategy for patients supported by VV-ECMO is unknown. Over the past few decades, significant effort in the for…
Inclusion Criteria 1. On VV ECMO for less than 24 hours at time of study consent 2. Severe ARDS as the primary etiology of respiratory failure defined by: * Acute onset: Within 1 week of known clinical insult * Bilateral infiltrates: Evidence of fluid/inflammation in both lungs on X-ray, CT, or US, not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload * Origin of Edema: Respiratory failure not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload * Oxygenation impairment (Severe): PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 100 mm HG (Partial pressure of arterial oxygen/Fraction of inspired oxygen) 3. Age 18…
For patients assigned to the intervention arm, the patient will be placed on volume control (VC) or pressure control (PC) ventilation with either an initial tidal volume of 3-4cc/kg predicted body weight (PBW) (for VC) or inspiratory pressure required to reach the same tidal volume goal (for PC), FiO2 set between 0.30-0.50, and PEEP of at least 10. This tidal volume or inspiratory pressure, for VC and PC respectively, will then be titrated down to meet a goal plateau pressure of less than or equal to 24 cmH2O, and a target driving pressure no greater than 14 cmH2O. Finally, the respiratory rate will then be titrated between 1 and 15 to meet the specified mechanical power goal range. Once the respiratory rate has been lowered to 8, tidal volumes will be lowered to 3cc/kg PBW prior to further reductions in respiratory rate. Mechanical power (MP) will be calculated every two hours and adjusted as needed to stay within the goal MP range until pre-defined weaning criteria are met.