RecruitingOBSERVATIONAL

Frequency and Severity of Respiratory Acidosis During One-lung Ventilation, a Retrospective Pilot Study to Compare Clinician Settings and Those Proposed by the VentilO Application

This research is about how doctors manage breathing machines during chest surgery, specifically when patients need to breathe with only one lung. This special type of breathing support, called one-lung ventilation, is very important for patient safety and to help avoid breathing problems after surgery. The study aims to look at how doctors currently set these breathing machines, including how much air is given and how often. They want to see if these settings are good enough to prevent a problem called respiratory acidosis, which is when too much acid builds up in the blood. The study also compares the doctors' settings with those suggested by a new smartphone app called 'VentilO', to find the best ways to keep patients healthy during and after their operation.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Sponsor

Laval University

Enrolment target

100

Start

01 Aug 2025

Estimated completion

01 Jun 2026

Thoracic Surgery Mechanical Ventilation Hypercapnia Acidosis One Lung Ventillation (OLV)Smartphone Application

What is this study about?

When you have certain types of chest surgery, such as on a lung or the food pipe, doctors often need to make one of your lungs temporarily stop working. This allows the surgeon more space and a clearer view to perform the operation safely. During this time, a breathing machine, also known as a ventilator, will help your other lung breathe for two. This is called 'one-lung ventilation'. It's a special way of providing breathing support because your one working lung has to do all the work. Doctors need to set the machine very carefully to protect your lung and help you recover well after surgery.

One of the main concerns with one-lung ventilation is preventing a condition called respiratory acidosis. This happens when too much carbon dioxide builds up in your body, making your blood too acidic. If not managed properly, this can lead to complications. So, doctors try to find the perfect balance – giving your lung enough air to breathe without pushing it too hard. They adjust settings like the 'tidal volume' (how much air goes in with each breath) and the 'respiratory rate' (how many breaths you take per minute).

This study looks back at information from patients who have already had these types of operations. It aims to see if the way doctors set the breathing machines at the start of one-lung ventilation was effective in preventing respiratory acidosis. The study also explores a new idea: comparing the doctors' decisions about breathing machine settings with suggestions from a smartphone app called 'VentilO'. The goal is to learn from past experiences and ultimately help doctors make even better, more personalised decisions for future patients, ensuring everyone breathes safely and comfortably during surgery.

Key takeaways

The study looks at how breathing machines are set during chest surgery.
It focuses on patients who breathe with only one lung during the operation.
The main goal is to prevent a breathing problem called respiratory acidosis.
It compares doctors' settings with those suggested by a smartphone app.
This is a review of past patient information, not a new experiment.
The findings could help improve future patient care and safety.

Who may be eligible?

To be included in this study, patients needed to meet certain requirements. They had to be adults, meaning 18 years old or older. They also would have had to undergo chest surgery where one-lung ventilation was used, meaning a breathing machine was helping one lung while the other was temporarily rested during the operation. Finally, their breathing machine must have been set in a specific way known as 'volume-controlled ventilation mode'.

There were also reasons why patient information would not have been included. For example, if there was no information available about their blood gases (which help doctors understand how well a patient is breathing and if acidosis is present) during the one-lung ventilation period. Also, if important details about the patient like their sex, height, or actual weight were missing, their data could not be used in the study.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you 18 years old or older?
Did you have chest surgery that involved 'one-lung ventilation'?
Was your breathing machine set to 'volume-controlled ventilation mode'?
Were your blood gas results available during that time?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

This is a 'retrospective' study, which means it looks back at information that has already been collected from patients who have already had one-lung ventilation during chest surgery. You would not be asked to do anything new or extra. The researchers would simply review your medical records, if they match the study's criteria, to collect information about your breathing machine settings and blood test results during your surgery. Your participation would not involve any additional visits, assessments, medication, or follow-up beyond your standard medical care.

Potential risks and benefits

As this study involves looking at existing medical records, there are no direct risks to patients. Your privacy is important, and all information would be handled confidentially. There are also no direct benefits to individual patients, as your medical care has already happened. However, the potential benefit is to future patients. By understanding how breathing machines were set in the past and whether they prevented breathing problems, doctors may be able to make better decisions for patients having similar surgery in the future. You always have the right to ask for your medical records not to be used in such studies, even if they are anonymised.

Locations (1)

Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec - Université Laval
Verified postcode
Québec, Canada· Recruiting

Common questions

What is one-lung ventilation?

It's a way doctors help you breathe during certain chest surgeries, where only one of your lungs is working, and a machine helps it do the job of two.

What is respiratory acidosis?

This is a breathing problem where there's too much acid in your blood, often because carbon dioxide builds up in your body.

What is the 'VentilO' app?

It's a smartphone application mentioned in the study that proposes different settings for breathing machines during one-lung ventilation.

Does this study involve new treatments?

No, this study is looking at past information from patients who have already had surgery. It's not testing new treatments.

Will my personal details be safe?

Yes, your privacy is important. All information used from medical records would be handled confidentially and usually anonymised.

How to find out more

Francois Lellouche

francois.lellouche@criucpq.ulaval.ca 1-418-656-8711 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.