ADAPT - Airway Drainage And Positioning Night-Time.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility randomised controlled trial of a novel postural management night-time intervention to improve respiratory health of children with complex neurodisability (ADAPT)
IRAS ID
333891
Contact name
Sarah Crombie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Children and young people with complex neurological conditions often experience recurrent chest infections, requiring frequent hospital stays and are the leading cause of premature death. A major cause of chest infections is aspiration, when saliva, food, liquid or stomach contents enter the lungs. Current recommendations advise children are positioned on their back at night to help with managing posture, but this position increases risk of aspiration. Our new approach, Breathe-Easy, involves children lying partway onto their front to drain secretions from the mouth.
We aim to investigate if:
• Breathe-Easy can be implemented by parents at home, guidance is clear, intervention is safe
• recruitment is possible to a trial where participants receive either Breathe-Easy or usual care
• health and well-being measures are appropriate to use in a subsequent, larger trial.Trial will involve 50 children. Children and young people are eligible if they:
• depend upon others to position and move their body
• have swallowing difficulties with high risk of aspiration
• are 2-18 years old
• use gastrostomy/jejunostomy (surgically placed long-term feeding tubes)
• have had a chest infection in the last 12 months.Participants will be randomly allocated for 6 months to Breathe-Easy or usual night-time positioning.
Data collection at the start of the study, at 3 months and 6 months:
• Children’s respiratory health, sleep, pain and quality of life using questionnaires.
• Use of antibiotics, X-rays and hospital admissions to treat chest infections from GP and hospital records.
We will ask children and young people, parents and healthcare staff about their experiences of the trial through surveys.This study will tell us if parents and professionals are willing to trial Breathe-Easy, and if the trial design is feasible and safe. It will help develop a larger trial to test the effectiveness of Breathe-Easy.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/YH/0064
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jun 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion