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Mechanical Ventilation ComplicationStrainNCT04194346

Determination of Normal Values of Regional Pulmonary Strain Using a New Ultrasonographic Tool in Healthy Volunteers

A study testing Lung ultrasound in people with Mechanical Ventilation Complication, run by Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Mechanical ventilation is frequently used in the operating room and the intensive care settings. Although essential in many cases, mechanical ventilation can be responsible for ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Mechanical Ventilation Complication
What is being tested?
Lung ultrasound
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
81 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
1 Mar 2023to 19 Dec 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Healthy volunteers (20 men/20 women)
  • 18 years old and over
  • Functional capacity superior to 4 METs (metabolic equivalent of task)

Who cannot join

  • Previous thoracic procedure (chest tube, thoracotomy, thoracoscopy)
  • Pre-existing pulmonary disease (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung fibrosis)
  • Active or previous history of smoking
  • Obesity (Body Mass Index superior to 30 kg/m2)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

    Montreal, Quebec, H2X 3E4

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Mechanical ventilation is frequently used in the operating room and the intensive care settings. Although essential in many cases, mechanical ventilation can be responsible for ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). The relationship between mechanical ventilation and VILI has been clearly demonstrated in animals and is highly suspected in humans. The putative mechanism responsible for VILI is excessive pulmonary strain or overdistension. Frequently observed in mechanically ventilated patients, the presence of a severe pre-existing pulmonary disease can increase the risk of overdistension. The development of a tool allowing early detection of pulmonary overdistension would represent a great asset in the prevention of VILI by allowing safer adjustments of mechanical ventilation parameters. Ultrasonographic imaging is a non-radiant, non-invasive technique already available in the intensive care setting. Already used for cardiac strain measurements, ultrasonography is a promising avenue to assess pulmonary strain.This study will aim to establish normal pleural strain values using ultrasonography in healthy volunteers.

Purpose: The primary objective is to calculate 95% confidence intervals in pleural strain for a set of 8 inspired volumes at 15 predetermined lung areas in healthy volunteers.

Read more

The secondary objectives of the study are:

  • to modelize the relation between pleural strain and inspired volume
  • to modelize the relation between pleural strain and global pulmonary volumetric strain
  • to modelize the relation between pleural strain and maximal echo intensity change
  • to compare the regional distribution pattern of pleural strain in healthy volunteers in dependent versus non-dependent areas.

Hypothesis: Elastography using the Lagrangian speckle model estimator based on optical flow allows the determination of normal mean values and 95% confidence intervals of pleural strain (average Von Mises coefficient) in 15 predetermined lung areas for a set of 8 inspired volumes in healthy volunteers.

Read the detailed description

Participants will have their functional residual capacity (FRC) measured by a nitrogen dilution technique. Subsequently, they will be instructed to breathe 8 different inspired volumes (5 to 15 ml/kg predicted body weight). Tidal volumes will be measured using a spirometer. For each inspired volume, 3 respiratory cycles will be recorded at 15 predetermined anatomic sites: 1st and 3rd left and right intercostal spaces at the mid-clavicular line, 5th right intercostal space at the mid-clavicular line, 2nd, 4th and 6th left and right intercostal spaces at the anterior axillary line, and 5th and 7th left intercostal spaces and right to the posterior axillary line. For each image, the probe will be oriented perpendicularly to the ribs. A research, non-commercially available, non-invasive vascular elastography platform will be used to calculate the various strain parameters for all of the recorded cineloops. For each recorded clip, an experienced lung ultrasonographer will segment the pleura on a single reference image. From this image, an algorithm will define a region of interest which will be tracked throughout the rest of the images of the video sequence. Finally, the algorithm will calculate the various components of pleural strain.

Being tested
Lung ultrasound

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Lung ultrasoundProcedure or surgery

    Healthy volunteers will have lung ultrasonography at 15 predetermined sites for a common volume continuum between 5 and 15 cc/kg. For each volume, 3 respiratory cycles will be recorded.

Study groups in NCT04194346
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Determination of local pleural strainExperimentalThe average Von Mises coefficient will be calculated for each recorded ultrasound loop using a non-invasive vascular elastography platform.
Receives: Procedure: Lung ultrasound

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Average Von Mises

    Three respiratory cycles will be analyzed using an elastography technique based on optical flow to calculate the average Von Mises coefficient. The mean value will be retained.

    Measured: At the end of the study on Day 1

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Sum of the ranges of cumulated absolute axial and cumulated absolute lateral deformation

    Three respiratory cycles will be analyzed using an elastography technique based on optical flow to calculate the sum of the ranges of cumulated absolute axial and cumulated absolute lateral deformation in percentage for each cycle. The mean value will be retained.

    Measured: At the end of the study on Day 1

  2. Range of cumulated absolute lateral deformation

    Three respiratory cycles will be analyzed using an elastography technique based on optical flow to calculate the range of cumulated absolute lateral deformation in percentage for each respiratory cycle. The mean value will be retained.

    Measured: At the end of the study on Day 1

  3. Cumulated absolute lateral translation

    Three respiratory cycles will be analyzed using an elastography technique based on optical flow to calculate the cumulated absolute lateral translation in millimeters for each respiratory cycle. The mean value will be retained.

    Measured: At the end of the study on Day 1

  4. Maximal echo intensity change

    Three respiratory cycles will be analyzed to calculate the maximal echo intensity change using an ordinal scale from 0 to 255. The mean value will be retained.

    Measured: At the end of the study on Day 1

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted11 Dec 2019
  2. Study start1 Mar 2023
  3. Primary completion19 Dec 2025
  4. Study completion19 Dec 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
Prospective, interventional
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
81 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04194346
Sponsor's protocol ID
19.251
Acronym
Strain
Status last verified
Mar 2026
First submitted
9 Dec 2019
Last updated
5 Mar 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Lung ultrasound in people with Mechanical Ventilation Complication, run by Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Average Von Mises (time frame: At the end of the study on Day 1). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Mar 2026.

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