Effectiveness of Routine Nebulization of Mucolytics and Bronchodilators During Mechanical Ventilation

Summary

The purpose of this multi-center randomized controlled non-inferiority trial is to determine the effect of a strategy using routine nebulisation of mucolytics and bronchodilators (four times daily) as compared to a strategy using nebulisation of mucolytics or bronchodilators only on clinical indication (i.e. occurrence of persistent thick and tenacious sputum or bronchospasm) in mechanically ventilated intensive care patients. The investigators will examine the effects in terms of ventilator-free days, defined as the number of days alive and free of ventilation at day 28 after start of ventilation. We hypothesize that a strategy that uses nebulisation of mucolytics or bronchodilators only on clinical indication not to be inferior to a strategy using preventive nebulisation of mucolytics or bronchodilators with regard to the number of ventilator free days in ICU patients at day 28.

Timeline

Start

2014-07

Primary completion

2017-03

Completion

2017-06

Publications

• van Meenen DMP, Algera AG, Schuijt MTU, Simonis FD, van der Hoeven SM, Neto AS, Abreu MG, Pelosi P, Paulus F, Schultz MJ; for the NEBULAE; PReVENT; RELAx investigators. Effect of mechanical power on mortality in invasively ventilated ICU patients without the acute respiratory distress syndrome: An analysis of three randomised clinical trials. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2023 Jan 1;40(1):21-28. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000001778. Epub 2022 Nov 18.
• van der Hoeven S, Ball L, Constantino F, van Meenen DM, Pelosi P, Beenen LF, Schultz MJ, Paulus F; NEBULAE-investigators. Effect of routine vs on-demand nebulization of acetylcysteine with salbutamol on accumulation of airway secretions in endotracheal tubes: substudy of a randomized clinical trial. Intensive Care Med Exp. 2020 Dec 18;8(Suppl 1):71. doi: 10.1186/s40635-020-00351-x.
• van Meenen DMP, van der Hoeven SM, Binnekade JM, de Borgie CAJM, Merkus MP, Bosch FH, Endeman H, Haringman JJ, van der Meer NJM, Moeniralam HS, Slabbekoorn M, Muller MCA, Stilma W, van Silfhout B, Neto AS, Ter Haar HFM, Van Vliet J, Wijnhoven JW, Horn J, Juffermans NP, Pelosi P, Gama de Abreu M, Schultz MJ, Paulus F. Effect of On-Demand vs Routine Nebulization of Acetylcysteine With Salbutamol on Ventilator-Free Days in Intensive Care Unit Patients Receiving Invasive Ventilation: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2018 Mar 13;319(10):993-1001. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.0949.
• van der Hoeven SM, Binnekade JM, de Borgie CA, Bosch FH, Endeman H, Horn J, Juffermans NP, van der Meer NJ, Merkus MP, Moeniralam HS, van Silfhout B, Slabbekoorn M, Stilma W, Wijnhoven JW, Schultz MJ, Paulus F. Preventive nebulization of mucolytic agents and bronchodilating drugs in invasively ventilated intensive care unit patients (NEBULAE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015 Sep 2;16:389. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-0865-0.

Drugs

Indications