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Critically IllNCT06269861

Comparison of Body Weights Via Visual Estimation, Anthropometric Calculation, and Actual Measured in Critically Ill Patients

A study testing patient transfer scale in people with Critically Ill and Body Weight, run by Gazi University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).

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

Rapid and accurate determination of body weight in adult intensive care patients is very important for both calculating target tidal volume during invasive mechanical ventilation support and dose dependent drug administration. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Critically Ill, Body Weight
What is being tested?
patient transfer scale
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
200 participants
Where
1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
Study dates
1 Nov 2023to 31 Dec 2024
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
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients who can stand without assistance are admitted to the inward of the internal disease department.
  • Patients who are admitted to the medical intensive care units

Who cannot join

  • Patient or control group under the age of 18 years
  • Patients died within the first 8 hours after hospital admission
  • Patients who did not sign informed consent
  • Refusal of legal representative to participate in the study in unconscious patients
  • Patients with anatomical defects or limb instruments that would prevent performing anthropometric measurements

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
  • Gazi University

    Ankara, Yenimahalle, 06560

Other trials in Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Official title: Evaluation of the Relation of the Body Weight Calculated by Visual Estimation and Anthropometric Measurements to the Actual Body Weight Measured by the Patient Transfer Scale in Critically Ill Patients

Rapid and accurate determination of body weight in adult intensive care patients is very important for both calculating target tidal volume during invasive mechanical ventilation support and dose dependent drug administration. In this patient group, measuring actual body weight with a calibrated scale by standing the patient up is often impossible due to acute illness. Instead, estimated body weight determined by health care personnel or estimated body weights calculated according to anthropometric measurements are used. These calculations have some limitations in showing actual body weight, and there is some controversial information in current literature regarding their validity in critically ill patients. There is newly developed patient transfer scale called Marsden M-999® manufactured by Marsden Weighing Machine Group Ltd, which has the advantage of being used in patients who are unable to stand up, in rapidly and accurately measuring the current body weight in critically ill patients. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of these methods by comparing the body weights calculated by visual estimation and various anthropometric methods in critically ill Turkish patients with the actual weight measured by the mentioned scale.

Read the detailed description

In adult medicine, determining the patient's body weight by visual estimation performed by healthcare providers (nurses and doctors) is common for critically ill patients who cannot speak or stand due to acute illnesses such as loss of consciousness, circulatory shock, or acute respiratory failure. This practice often leads to the administration of the same dose of medication to many patients whose body weight may vary between 50 to 100 kilograms (kg). In cases where rapid diagnosis and treatment are crucial due to acute illness, the accurate and effective administration of dose-dependent drugs such as antibiotics, anticoagulants, vasopressors, sedatives, and analgesics is essential for treatment success. Although the average error percentage of 10-20% in estimated body weight by visual estimation may seem negligible in emergencies, it can lead to increased toxicity and costs in recombinant factor replacements, anticoagulants with a narrow therapeutic range, and various imported antibiotics. Additionally, the high error rate in estimating height by visual estimation poses a risk of causing ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) during invasive mechanical ventilation support by inducing alveolar overdistension.

Various calculation methods have been reported for estimating body weight based on anthropometric measurements. One such method is weight calculation based on the upper mid-arm circumference (UMAC), which has been reported as the most correlated calculation for actual body weight in the adult age group in studies using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data in the United States (U.S.). Another commonly used method is formulas that calculate ideal body weight based on the patient's height. This is especially crucial in critically ill patients during invasive mechanical ventilation support for acute respiratory failure. The calculation of ideal body weight using charts based on half-span or knee height can be applied in cases where patients cannot stand due to critical illness.

Many anthropometric measurements mentioned here have been conducted in different societies. They may vary according to ethnic communities, emphasizing the potential differences in body composition, such as fat and muscle mass distribution, among different ethnic groups. Considering the critical illness in the Turkish population, there is currently no detailed publication in the literature regarding the usability of estimated body weights calculated based on anthropometric measurements. Moreover, the fact that many anthropometric measurements are derived from population screening data in healthy individuals causes their application in clinical practice challenging. Validity of anthropometric measurements that apply to critically ill patients, where patients cannot stand, appropriate positions for anthropometric measurements cannot be provided, and body distributions in limbs where anthropometric measurements are derived may differ due to peripheral edema, is, therefore, crucial.

In many studies using anthropometric measurements for weight calculation, the actual body weights of patients were measured using a calibrated scale. Given that critically ill patients often cannot be lifted due to acute illness, special devices or equipments are needed to reliably determine actual body weights in the supine position in this patient group. Currently, used bed scales, wall-mounted levers, or special devices that allow the patient and bed to be weighed together are not widely used due to high costs and difficulties associated with patient transfer from bed to bed, such as the need for the patient to be hemodynamically stable, the need for multiple personnel during patient transfer, adherence to infection prevention rules, and the time-consuming nature of measurements depending on the device used. The recently developed patient transfer scale, Marsden M-999®, which has advantages for patients who cannot stand, suggests that it could be used to calculate actual weight rapidly and accurately in critically ill patients. There is no publication currently in the literature about the routine use of the mentioned patient transfer scale in critically ill settings. However, its ease of use in measuring patient body weight in the supine position while transitioning from a stretcher to an intensive care bed is a significant advantage.

Considering that the patient transfer scale cannot be provided to every intensive care unit due to its cost; it was aimed to determine the most valid estimated body weight calculation method in the critically ill Turkish patients according to anthropometric measurements in this study.

Being tested
patient transfer scale
Keywords
actual body weight, ideal body weight, anthropometric measurements, patient transfer scale
Medical subject headings
Critical Illness, Body Weight

What participants receive

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

  • patient transfer scaleDevice

    patient transfer scale is a device to measure actual weight for critically ill patient who are unable to stand

Study groups in NCT06269861
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
inward patientsOtherThe inward patients who will be weighed with bathroom scale and patient transfer scale
Receives: Device: patient transfer scale
critically ill patientsOtherThe critically ill patients who will be weighed with patient transfer scale
Receives: Device: patient transfer scale

What is being measured

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

  1. determining actual weight

    The correlation between actual weight measured with bathroom scales and patient transfer scales in standing patients

    Measured: Actual body weight measured with bathroom scales and patient transfer scales in standing patients on the day of hospital; up to 8 weeks for purpose of reaching total patients number of 100

  2. determining the ideal estimated body weight in critically ill patients

    The correlation of actual weight with estimated weight determined based on visual estimation and anthropometric measurements in critically ill

    Measured: Actual and estimated weight of patients determined on the first day of intensive care unit; up to 6 months for purpose of reaching total patients number of 100

Timeline

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

  1. First posted21 Feb 2024
  2. Study start1 Nov 2023
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2024
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2024

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
Screening
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Sequential
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Care provider, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
200 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06269861
Sponsor's protocol ID
GaziUtipNBDundar003
Status last verified
Feb 2025
First submitted
10 Feb 2024
Last updated
13 Mar 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Cattermole GN, Graham CA, Rainer TH. Mid-arm circumference can be used to estimate weight of adult and adolescent patients. Emerg Med J. 2017 Apr;34(4):231-236. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2015-205623. Epub 2016 Dec 19.

    PubMed 27993936
  • Maskin LP, Attie S, Setten M, Rodriguez PO, Bonelli I, Stryjewski ME, Valentini R. Accuracy of weight and height estimation in an intensive care unit. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2010 Sep;38(5):930-4. doi: 10.1177/0310057X1003800519.

    PubMed 20865881
  • Bloomfield R, Steel E, MacLennan G, Noble DW. Accuracy of weight and height estimation in an intensive care unit: Implications for clinical practice and research. Crit Care Med. 2006 Aug;34(8):2153-7. doi: 10.1097/01.CCM.0000229145.04482.93.

    PubMed 16763505
  • Breuer L, Nowe T, Huttner HB, Blinzler C, Kollmar R, Schellinger PD, Schwab S, Kohrmann M. Weight approximation in stroke before thrombolysis: the WAIST-Study: a prospective observational "dose-finding" study. Stroke. 2010 Dec;41(12):2867-71. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.578062. Epub 2010 Nov 11.

    PubMed 21071723
  • Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network; Brower RG, Matthay MA, Morris A, Schoenfeld D, Thompson BT, Wheeler A. Ventilation with lower tidal volumes as compared with traditional tidal volumes for acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2000 May 4;342(18):1301-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJM200005043421801.

    PubMed 10793162
  • Venkataraman R, Ranganathan L, Nirmal V, Kameshwaran J, Sheela CV, Renuka MV, Ramakrishnan N. Height measurement in the critically ill patient: A tall order in the critical care unit. Indian J Crit Care Med. 2015 Nov;19(11):665-8. doi: 10.4103/0972-5229.169342.

    PubMed 26730118
  • L'her E, Martin-Babau J, Lellouche F. Accuracy of height estimation and tidal volume setting using anthropometric formulas in an ICU Caucasian population. Ann Intensive Care. 2016 Dec;6(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s13613-016-0154-4. Epub 2016 Jun 21.

    PubMed 27325410
  • Hickson M, Frost G. A comparison of three methods for estimating height in the acutely ill elderly population. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2003 Feb;16(1):13-20. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-277x.2003.00416.x.

    PubMed 12581405
  • Bassey EJ. Demi-span as a measure of skeletal size. Ann Hum Biol. 1986 Sep-Oct;13(5):499-502. doi: 10.1080/03014468600008661.

    PubMed 3800311
  • Chumlea WC, Guo S, Roche AF, Steinbaugh ML. Prediction of body weight for the nonambulatory elderly from anthropometry. J Am Diet Assoc. 1988 May;88(5):564-8.

    PubMed 3367012
  • Opdam MH, Koekkoek KWAC, Boeije T, Mullaart N, van Zanten ARH. Mid-arm circumference method is invalid to estimate the body weight of elderly Emergency Department patients in the Netherlands. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Aug;98(32):e16722. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000016722.

    PubMed 31393379
  • Kokong DD, Pam IC, Zoakah AI, Danbauchi SS, Mador ES, Mandong BM. Estimation of weight in adults from height: a novel option for a quick bedside technique. Int J Emerg Med. 2018 Nov 27;11(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s12245-018-0212-9.

    PubMed 31179934
  • Freitag E, Edgecombe G, Baldwin I, Cottier B, Heland M. Determination of body weight and height measurement for critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit: A quality improvement project. Aust Crit Care. 2010 Nov;23(4):197-207. doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2010.04.003. Epub 2010 Jun 25.

    PubMed 20576445

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing patient transfer scale in people with Critically Ill and Body Weight, run by Gazi University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).

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 2 inclusion and 5 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 13 Mar 2025. 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 Turkey (Türkiye). 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?

determining actual weight (time frame: Actual body weight measured with bathroom scales and patient transfer scales in standing patients on the day of hospital; up to 8 weeks for purpose of reaching total patients number of 100). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06269861, which also lists 13 linked publications.

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 13 Mar 2025.

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