GASTRIC-PICU
Who is it for? Children less than 16 years of age admitted to Intensive Care and being ventilated through a breathing machine, who are going to start being fed or are already being fed by nasogastric tube or gastrostomy.
Why? We know that children in intensive care often struggle to get the amount of calories they need. Having enough calories is important when a child is unwell to ensure they have enough energy for breathing and healing. One routine practice that may be contributing to children not getting enough calories is the regular measuring of the child’s stomach contents. This can lead to stopping the child’s feeds if staff are concerned about the amount or colour of the stomach contents.
This clinical trial is designed to find out whether not routinely measuring the child’s stomach contents during feeding could be beneficial.
To find out more: Talk to the nurse or doctor looking after your child, or contact the research team
or visit the GASTRIC-PICU study website
or follow the QR code
PROSpect
Who is it for? Children from 2 weeks to 18 years old with a serious lung injury requiring a breathing machine.
Why? We want to find out how best to help children on a breathing machine with a serious lung injury. After you give your permission, your child will be placed in one of four groups, randomly, like rolling dice. There are different types of breathing machines and positions that can be used in children who are sick on a breathing machine. This study hopes to find out if one of two types of breathing machines and one of two different positions are better than the other in reducing the number of days children spend on breathing machines.
To find out more: Contact your CICU doctor, or Research Nurse Laura Alcantara or visit the study website
PRESSURE
Who is it for? Children under the age of 16 years receiving a continuous infusion of vasoactive drug (drugs use to increase blood pressure) and on a breathing machine.
Why? In critically ill children, hypotension (low blood pressure) is common, especially in patients with severe infections. A very low blood pressure, can be dangerous, even life threatening. Many intensive care treatments are used to increase blood pressure. These include intravenous fluids and drugs to make the heart pump harder. However, these treatments also carry risks of side-effects and complications. Current guidelines recommend maintaining mean arterial pressure (MAP) for children in the normal range for age. However, currently there is no clear evidence for the best target to aim for. This study aims to find out whether the benefits associated with a lower blood pressure target in critically ill children will outweigh the risks associated with lower MAP values and the medical interventions needed to raise blood pressure.
To find out more: Contact your CICU doctor or nurse, Research Nurses Rekha Patel or Laura Alcantara or visit the study website
GenOMICC – Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care
Who is it for? Children with severe illness who are admitted to intensive care (ICU) with conditions including:
- COVID-19 (coronavirus)
- Influenza (flu)Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (a type of respiratory virus)
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
- Pneumonia
- Burns
- Cellulitis (infection in the deeper layers of skin)
- and other emerging infections
Why? Our genes (or DNA) determine how vulnerable we are to critical illness. If we could find the genes that cause some people to be more vulnerable, we may be able to develop better treatments for patients in the future. To do this we need a single DNA sample from lots of critically ill patients with a range of selected conditions.
To find out more: contact your child’s Intensive Care consultant, or Research Nurse Rekha Patel
We may have other studies for children in intensive care.
Please ask your Intensive Care Doctor about research that may be suitable for you or your child.
Click here to find out about our COVID-19 research
#BePartOfResearch
