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Circulatory Failure (Shock)FLOWNCT07494643

Fluid-responsiveness in Children Ventilated With LOW Tidal Volume - The FLOW Study.

A study testing Echocardiographic in people with Circulatory Failure (Shock), run by University Hospital, Bordeaux at 6 sites in France.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

In this study of diagnostic accuracy, the investigators aim to validate a fluid-responsiveness test in critically ill children mechanically ventilated with low tidal volume. This test is the famous respiratory variability of peak aortic velocity (ΔVPeak), which is based on cardiopulmonary interactions but is only… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 0 days to 15 years
Conditions the study is for
Circulatory Failure (Shock)
What is being tested?
Echocardiographic
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
60 participants
Where
6 sitesFrance
Study dates
10 Nov 2025to Nov 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 0 days to 15 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Age between 0 days and 15 years old
  • Patient hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit.
  • Prescription of a 10ml/kg (±20%) fluid expansion by the physician in charge, as a standard care treatment of circulatory failure (precise indication is up to the physician in charge).
  • Mechanical ventilation
  • Tidal volume < 6ml/kg (±15%)
  • Fluid responsiveness echocardiographic assessment as of routine care

Who cannot join

  • Prematurity (corrected gestational age bellow 37 weeks)
  • Arythmia
  • Hemodynamic instability making dangerous the delay necessary for any measurement.
  • Prone position
  • Impairment of echocardiographic acoustic window
  • Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Show all 14Show fewer
  • Respiratory rate (measured) > 60 cycles per minute (including high frequency oscillation)
  • Significant breathing movements (high work of breathing, clinically assessed)
  • Restlessness with desynchronization patient/ventilator
  • Open chest
  • Cardiogenic pulmonary oedema
  • Known intracardiac or vascular shunt
  • Known hemodynamically significant valvopathy
  • Opposition to participate expressed by the patient or by a parent or legal guardian

Trial locations and contacts

6 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

6 sites in 1 country

France6 sites, 6 recruiting
  • CHU d'Amiens Picardie

    Amiens

    Ghida GHOSTINE, MD, 0322087604 ext. +33, Ghostine.Ghida@chu-amiens.fr

    Recruiting
  • CHU de BORDEAUX

    Bordeaux

    Julien GOTCHAC, MD, 0556795913 ext. +33, julien.gotchac@chu-bordeaux.fr

    Julien GOTCHAC, MD

    Recruiting
  • CHU de LIMOGES

    Limoges

    Adeline BERENGER, MD, 0555058666 ext. +33, adeline.berenger@chu-limoges.fr

    Recruiting
  • Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades

    Paris

    Agathe BERANGER, MD, 0171196075 ext. +33, agathe.beranger@aphp.fr

    Recruiting
  • Hôpital Robert Debré

    Paris

    Julian SAN GEROTEO, MD, 0140032000 ext. +33, julian.san-geroteo@aphp.fr

    Recruiting
  • CHU de Rouen Normandie

    Rouen

    Cloé GUILBERT, MD, 0232888990 ext. +33, Cloe.Guilbert@chu-rouen.fr

    Recruiting

Other trials in France

About this study

In this study of diagnostic accuracy, the investigators aim to validate a fluid-responsiveness test in critically ill children mechanically ventilated with low tidal volume. This test is the famous respiratory variability of peak aortic velocity (ΔVPeak), which is based on cardiopulmonary interactions but is only validated in mechanically ventilated children with a tidal volume of at least 8ml/kg, which is uncommon nowadays. This would help physicians to identify children ventilated with low tidal volume and suffering from acute circulatory failure that could benefit from a volume expansion, thus avoiding a potentially useless or even dangerous fluid expansion that could lead to fluid overload.

To this end, the diagnostic accuracy of ΔVPeak to predict fluid responsiveness (define as a 15% increase in echocardiographically measured SV after volume expansion) will be measured in mechanically ventilated children with low tidal volume and requiring fluid bolus.

Read the detailed description

Volume expansion is the cornerstone of acute circulatory failure treatment in children. However, inappropriate administration can lead to fluid overload, which is associated with poor outcome. Thus, the search for indicators to predict fluid responsiveness is a major issue in pediatric intensive care unit. In such an emergency context, this assessment must be as simple and fast as possible, and ideally non-invasive. In children, ΔVPeak is the most used and studied test and has an excellent diagnostic accuracy. Moreover, this echocardiography-based test is noninvasive and easy to perform. Unfortunately, this test is only validated in children ventilated with tidal volume of at least 8ml/kg, a rare situation in practice. However, some recent data in both adults and preterm neonates suggest that fluid responsiveness tests based on cardiopulmonary interactions could be used even in patients on protective ventilation. Yet, to date, the diagnostic accuracy of ΔVPeak has never been investigated in children on protective ventilation (low tidal volume), although it is now the most common ventilation strategy in pediatric intensive care units. Therefore, the investigators hypothesize that ΔVPeak is reliable to predict fluid responsiveness in children mechanically ventilated with 6ml/kg tidal volume.

Therefore, the investigatorswill evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ΔVPeak in critically ill children mechanically ventilated with low tidal volume, and for whom the physician in charge prescribed a 10ml/kg volume expansion to treat circulatory failure. The index test will be ΔVPeak. Fluid responsiveness will be defined as a > 15% increase in echocardiographically-measured stroke volume between baseline and within one hour after fluid expansion (gold standard test).

In this non-interventional multicentric prospective study of diagnostic accuracy, children requiring a 10ml/kg volume expansion will be included. Volume expansion will be delayed for a few minutes (<3min) in order to complete the baseline echocardiogram with standardized measurements, but no supplemental blood test or invasive parameters will be collected. Another echocardiographic evaluation will be conducted within one hour after volume expansion. Patients will be follow-up until PICU discharge.

Being tested
Echocardiographic
Keywords
echocardiography, fluid responsiveness, goal-directed fluid management, shock, volume expansion
Medical subject headings
Shock

What participants receive

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

  • EchocardiographicProcedure or surgery

    Patients included in this study would have received volume expansion anyway, as the prescription of 10ml/kg volume expansion by the physician in charge is the main inclusion criterion. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a fluid responsiveness test. To this end, patients will undergo echocardiographic assessments, which are non-invasive, non-radiative, well tolerated and commonly used in this population as a standard of care in our center. No additional blood test or invasive parameters will be collected be collected.

Study groups in NCT07494643
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Diagnostic accuracy of ΔVPeakExperimentalNot described
Receives: Procedure: Echocardiographic

What is being measured

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

  1. Area under the ROC curve (AUROC, percent) of ΔVPeak to diagnose fluid responsiveness

    The primary outcome measure of a diagnostic accuracy study is the discriminative ability of an index test (expressed as an area under the ROC curve) to diagnose a condition (defined by a positive gold-standard reference test). In this study:

    • The index test is ΔVPeak at baseline = difference between maximal and minimal peak aortic velocity (m/s) during 5 cardiac cycles, divided by mean peak aortic velocity (m/s). Peak aortic velocity is measured by transthoracic echocardiography with pulsed-Doppler in the left ventricular outflow tract from an apical 5-chambers view.
    • The condition is "fluid responsiveness"
    • The gold-standard reference test to diagnose fluid responsiveness is a stroke volume (SV) increase of at least 15% between baseline and after volume expansion: ΔSV-VE > 15% = ((SV after volume expansion - SV at baseline) / SV at baseline) > 15%. SV (ml) will be measured by transthoracic echocardiography as the product of left ventricular outflow tract surface (cm², from a par

    Measured: Baseline

Secondary outcomes (21)
  1. AUROC (percent) of the following index test to diagnose fluid responsiveness

    Respiratory variability of peak pulmonary velocity i.e. difference between maximal and minimal peak pulmonary velocity (m/s) during 6 cardiac cycles, divided by mean pulmonary aortic velocity (m/s). Peak pulmonary velocity is measured by transthoracic echocardiography with pulsed-Doppler in the right ventricular outflow tract from parasternal view.

    Measured: Baseline

  2. Influencing factors

    AUROC of deltaVPeak to diagnose fluid responsiveness in the following subgroups:

    • Age below 2 years
    • Age between 2 and 5 years
    • Age between 5 and 15 years
    • Anormal right ventricle (defined as a right ventricle dilatation (i.e., basal right ventricle diameter superior to the basal left ventricle diameter) or dysfunction (i.e., a tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion value or as a S wave tissular doppler value at lateral tricuspid annulus below 2 standard deviations for age and body surface area))
    • Spontaneous breathing (clinically defined)
    • Altered pulmonary compliance (defined as a pulmonary compliance of less than 0.5ml/kg/cmH2O, measured with the ventilator)
    • Pediatric cute respiratory distress syndrome (clinically defined as per international guidelines)

    And comparison of thoses AUROC (using a De Long test)

    Measured: Baseline

  3. Poor respiratory tolerance

    Association between the binary outcome "poor respiratory tolerance of volume expansion" (composite outcome defined as the presence of at least one of the following conditions at the Time Frame "Hours 4": clinically meaningful oxygenation worsening compared to baseline, measured with oxygen saturation related to oxygen intake (fraction of inspired oxygen, percent); clinically meaningful pulmonary compliance worsening compared to baseline, measured in ml/cmH2O with the ventilator; therapeutic incrementation for acute respiratory distress syndrome such as neuromuscular blockade, prone positioning, inhaled nitric oxid or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and the following baseline echocardiographic parameters:

    • Right ventricle dilatation (binary variable, defined as basal right ventricle diameter superior to basal left ventricle diameter)
    • Right ventricle systolic dysfunction (binary variable, defined as a tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion value or as a S wave tissul

    Measured: Baseline , immediately after volume expansion

  4. Proportion of patients in each age category, according to fluid responsiveness

    • Categorical variable (age category: 0-2 years / 2-5 years / 5-15 years)
    • Unit : percent of patients

    Measured: Baseline

  5. Sex, in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • Binary variable (M/F)
    • Unit: percent of patients

    Measured: Baseline

  6. Weight, in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • Continuous variable
    • Unit: kg

    Measured: Baseline

  7. Volume of fluid expansion in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    Volume of fluid expansion during the last 24 hours before inclusion

    • Continuous variable
    • Unit: ml

    Measured: Baseline

  8. Heart rate in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit: bpm

    Measured: Baseline

  9. Arterial pressure in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit: mmHg

    Measured: Baseline

  10. Urine in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    Urine output

    • continuous variable
    • Unit: ml/kg/h

    Measured: Baseline,

  11. Capillary refill time with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit: sec

    Measured: Baseline

  12. Mottling, in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • Binary variable (yes/no)
    • Unit: percent of patients

    Measured: Baseline

  13. fluid balance in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    Cumulative fluid balance since intensive care admission

    • continuous variable
    • Unit : ml

    Measured: Baseline

  14. PELODS2 score in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit : n

    Measured: Baseline

  15. Inotropic Score in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit : n

    Measured: Baseline

  16. Left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit : percentage

    Measured: Baseline

  17. venous pressure in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit : mmHg

    Measured: Baseline

  18. Blood lactate in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit : mmol/L

    Measured: Baseline

  19. Length of mechanical ventilation in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • Continuous variable.
    • Unit: days.

    Measured: Day 28

  20. length of stay in intensive care in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • continuous variable
    • Unit : days.

    Measured: Day 28

  21. Mortality in patients with and without fluid responsiveness

    • Mortality: binary variable (yes/no)
    • Unit: percent of patients

    Measured: Day 28

Timeline

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

  1. First posted27 Mar 2026
  2. Study start10 Nov 2025
  3. Primary completionNov 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionNov 2027 (estimated)

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
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
60 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07494643
Sponsor's protocol ID
CHUBX 2025/059
Acronym
FLOW
Status last verified
Mar 2026
First submitted
2 Feb 2026
Last updated
7 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Echocardiographic in people with Circulatory Failure (Shock), run by University Hospital, Bordeaux at 6 sites in France.

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 6 inclusion and 14 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 6 sites in France. 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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

Contact Julien GOTCHAC, MD (0556795913 ext. +33, julien.gotchac@chu-bordeaux.fr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Area under the ROC curve (AUROC, percent) of ΔVPeak to diagnose fluid responsiveness (time frame: Baseline). 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 7 Apr 2026.

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