Beacon Care system in general medical ICU v1.1

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Weaning from mechanical ventilation: comparison of open-loop decision support system and routine care, in general medical ICU.

• IRAS ID

  226610

• Contact name

  Marcela Vizcaychipi

• Contact email

  m.vizcaychipi@imperial.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Title - Weaning from mechanical ventilation: comparison of open-loop decision support system and routine care, in general medical ICU.

  Patients residing in the intensive care unit (ICU) typically receive support for their breathing from a mechanical ventilator. This delivers a volume of air for each breath and can vary oxygen levels in the air. Selecting the correct oxygen and volume is important, as incorrect levels can harm the patient, and result in an increased time connected to the ventilator. Selecting the correct levels is however difficuilt, and depends upon the individual patient and their disease. Recently, a system has been developed (the Beacon Caresystem) which advises the doctor as to how to best set the ventilator. This system is based on mathematics which describes the patients disease and may therefore provide ventilator settings which better suit the individual.
  The purpose of this study is to see if the advice from the Beacon Caresystem reduces the time spent connected to the ventilator, i.e. increases the speed of ventilator weaning. This study will look at a wide range of patients in general medical ICU's. Patients are divided into two groups. For these groups, ventilator settings are decided by either the doctor or the system. For each of these groups the time patients spend connected to the ventilator will be measured, and it will be assessed whether using the Beacon Caresystem reduces this time. If so, then this should reduce the number of complications associated with being connected to the ventilator, such as the risk of lung injury, infection, muscle wasting and patient discomfort; and as such reduce the risk of death and the economic costs associated with mechanical ventilation.

• REC name

  London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  17/LO/0887

• Date of REC Opinion

  6 Sep 2017

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion