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TerminatedNCT01667146PHARLAPUpdated Jul 18, 2024Results posted

Open Lung Ventilation in ARDS: The PHARLAP Trial

An interventional study of PHARLAP mechanical ventilation strategy and Control group mechanical ventilation strategy in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, sponsored by Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre. Terminated at 27 sites in 5 countries. Open to participants aged 16 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-07-18.

Sponsored by Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
Halted by the Management Committee after the publication of the ART Trial
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
115
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
16 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Some people develop the condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This is a condition where the lungs have become injured from one of a number of various causes, and do not work as they normally do to provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the body. This can lead to a reduced amount of oxygen in the patient's bloodstream. Patients with ARDS are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and need help with their breathing by being connected to a ventilator (breathing machine). ARDS can lead to injury in other organs of the body causing other problems but also death.

Over the past few years, reducing the size of each breath delivered by the ventilator in conjunction with the use of an occasional sustained deep breath called a "recruitment manoeuvre" have been used to try to prevent further damage to the lungs in people with ARDS. This ventilator strategy (termed the PHARLAP strategy) has been shown in a small research study to have some beneficial effects without causing any obvious harm, when compared to a current best practice ventilator strategy. The main beneficial effects of the PHARLAP strategy were to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood and to reduce markers of inflammation (the body reacting to a disease process) in the body. This study was too small to make a strong conclusion, so this study will be much larger and will assess whether patients who have developed ARDS are better off when we use the PHARLAP strategy. Three hundred and forty patients will be enrolled into this study in multiple ICUs across Australia and New Zealand.

The study hypothesis is that the PHARLAP strategy group will have a higher number of ventilator free days at day 28 than the control group.

Read the detailed description

340 adult patients who have developed ARDS within the last 72 hours (and within 10 days of commencing mechanical ventilation) will be enrolled in 25- 30 intensive care units (ICUs) and randomly allocated to either the PHARLAP or a control ventilation strategy. PHARLAP strategy: Pressure control ventilation to maintain tidal volume 4-6 ml/kg and plateau pressure ≤ 30 cmH2O while tolerating respiratory acidosis if pH > 7.15; daily staircase recruitment manoeuvre and individualised Positive-end expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration.

Control strategy: Mechanical ventilation based on the ARDSnet protocol with tidal volume 6 ml/kg, plateau pressure ≤ 30 cmH2O and fraction inspired oxygen (FiO2)/PEEP titration according to a FiO2/PEEP/oxygen saturation combination chart. This has been modified for Australian and New Zealand practice to allow pressure control and pressure support ventilation. A standardised weaning from mechanical ventilation guideline will be used in both groups

02

Conditions studied

03

In context

Respiratory Distress Syndrome

1,597 studies on the registry are indexed under Respiratory Distress Syndrome; 312 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 115 is above the median of 60 across 961 interventional studies indexed under Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Browse Respiratory Distress Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre is the lead sponsor of 48 studies on the registry; 16 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
16 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Adult ICU patients who met all of the following criteria:

  • Currently intubated and receiving mechanical ventilation
  • Within 72 Hours of a diagnosis of ARDS (moderate and severe) based on the following Berlin definition:
  • Within 1 week of a known clinical insult or new or worsening respiratory symptoms
  • Bilateral opacities on chest x-ray (CXR) which are not fully explained by effusions, lobar/lung collapse or nodules
  • Respiratory failure not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload
  • Arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2)/FiO2 \< 200mmHg with PEEP ≥ 5cmH2O

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • > 72 hours since diagnosis of ARDS
  • > 10 days of continuous mechanical ventilation
  • Barotrauma (pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema or any intercostal catheter for the treatment of air leak)
  • Significant chest trauma i.e. multiple rib fractures
  • Active bronchospasm or a history of significant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma
  • Clinical suspicion for significant restrictive lung disease (history of pulmonary fibrosis or suggestive pulmonary function tests)
  • Moderate or severe traumatic brain injury, the presence of an intracranial pressure monitor, or any medical condition associated with a clinical suspicion of raised intracranial pressure
  • Unstable cardiovascular status defined as sustained heart rate \< 40 or > 140 bpm, ventricular tachycardia, or SBP \< 80mmHg
  • Pregnancy
  • Receiving ECMO
  • Receiving high frequency oscillatory ventilation
  • Death is deemed imminent and inevitable
  • The treating physician believes it is not in the best interest of the patient to be enrolled in the trial
  • Consent not obtained or refused by patient's legal surrogate
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
115 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    PHARLAP ventilation group

    PHARLAP mechanical ventilation strategy

    Other: PHARLAP mechanical ventilation strategy

  • Active comparator
    Control group ventilation

    Control group mechanical ventilation strategy

    Other: Control group mechanical ventilation strategy

Interventions

  • OtherPHARLAP mechanical ventilation strategy

    Pressure control ventilation to maintain tidal volume 4-6 ml/kg and plateau pressure ≤ 30 cmH2O while tolerating respiratory acidosis if pH \> 7.15; daily staircase recruitment manoeuvre and individualised PEEP titration.

  • OtherControl group mechanical ventilation strategy

    Mechanical ventilation based on the ARDSnet protocol using volume control ventilation with tidal volume 6 ml/kg, plateau pressure ≤ 30 cmH2O and FiO2/PEEP titration according to a FiO2/PEEP/oxygen saturation combination chart. This has been modified for Australian and New Zealand practice to allow pressure control and pressure support ventilation.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Ventilator Free Days at Day 28 Post Randomisation

    This is the total number of days calculated from day 1 (randomisation) to day 28 on which the patient was alive and received no assistance from invasive mechanical ventilation. Scores range between 0 (no ventilator free days) to 28 (no days on ventilator).

    Time frame: 28 days post randomisation

Secondary outcomes

  1. PaO2/FiO2 Ratio and Static Lung Compliance

    PaO2/FiO2 ratio is the ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2 in mmHg) to fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2 expressed as a fraction, not a percentage). ARDS severity Mild 200-300 / Moderate 100-200 / Severe \<100.

    Time frame: Up to day 28 post randomisation

  2. Baseline to Day 3 Change in IL-8 and IL-6 Concentrations in Broncho-alveolar Lavage and Plasma

    IL-8 is an important protein related to inflammation, Interleukin (IL)-6 is produced at the site of inflammation and plays a key role in the acute phase response

    Time frame: Day 3 post randomisation

  3. Number of Severe Hypotension Events

    Hypotension requiring increased vasopressor Days 1-28

    Time frame: Up to 28 days post randomisation

  4. Number of Participants With Barotrauma

    Evidence of Pneumothorax requiring Drainage

    Time frame: Up to 90 days post randomisation

  5. Use of Rescue Therapies for Severe Hypoxaemia - Inhaled Nitric Oxide, Inhaled Prostacyclin, Prone Positioning, High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

    The use of various rescue therapies (each of the therapies is compared between groups - per patient). the various therapies measured are inhaled nitric oxide, inhaled prostacyclin, prone positioning, high frequency oscillatory ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

    Time frame: Within hospital admission

  6. Mortality

    At timepoints: day 28

    Time frame: at day 28

  7. ICU Length of Stay

    The number of days a person stayed in the ICU. A fraction of a day is considered a day

    Time frame: From admission to ICU up to 6 months

  8. Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

    The incidence of Acute Renal Injury - measured by the use of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) in each person

    Time frame: Within hospital admission

  9. Quality of Life Assessment

    SF36v2 will be used Medical Outcomes Study. Scoring the RAND is a two-step process. First, pre-coded numeric values are recoded. Note that all items are scored so that a high score defines a more favorable health state. In addition, each item is scored on a 0 to 100 range so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Scores represent the percentage of total possible score achieved. In step 2, items in the same scale are averaged together to create the 8 scale scores.

    Time frame: 6 months post randomisation

  10. Cost Effectiveness Analysis

    This will be based on EQ-5D. EQ-5D is the most widely used health-related quality of life questionnaire in health economic evaluations.\[62\] EQ-5D can be used to derive a set of values that reflect people's opinions of the relative importance of different health problems. These values can be used to derive QALYs for application in cost-effectiveness and cost-utility evaluations.

    Time frame: 6 months post randomisation

  11. Hospital Length of Stay

    The length of time in days a participant stayed in hospital. A fraction of a day is considered 1 day.

    Time frame: From admission up to 6 months

07

Results

Posted Jul 18, 2024
Limitations and caveats
The power of the study was limited by lower than expected recruitment rates, early termination of the trial (due to the publication of the ART trial), and treatment crossovers. Blinding was not possible within the ICU, staff and relatives were aware of group allocation.

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestonePHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
Started5857
Completed5756
Not completed11

Outcome measures

PrimaryNumber of Ventilator Free Days at Day 28 Post Randomisation

This is the total number of days calculated from day 1 (randomisation) to day 28 on which the patient was alive and received no assistance from invasive mechanical ventilation. Scores range between 0 (no ventilator free days) to 28 (no days on ventilator).

Time frame:
28 days post randomisation
Reported as:
Median · days
Number of Ventilator Free Days at Day 28 Post Randomisation
daysPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
Number of Ventilator Free Days at Day 28 Post Randomisation16 (0 to 21)14.5 (0 to 21.5)
SecondaryPaO2/FiO2 Ratio and Static Lung Compliance

PaO2/FiO2 ratio is the ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2 in mmHg) to fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2 expressed as a fraction, not a percentage). ARDS severity Mild 200-300 / Moderate 100-200 / Severe \<100.

Time frame:
Up to day 28 post randomisation

Results for this outcome have not been posted.

SecondaryBaseline to Day 3 Change in IL-8 and IL-6 Concentrations in Broncho-alveolar Lavage and Plasma

IL-8 is an important protein related to inflammation, Interleukin (IL)-6 is produced at the site of inflammation and plays a key role in the acute phase response

Time frame:
Day 3 post randomisation

Results for this outcome have not been posted.

SecondaryNumber of Severe Hypotension Events

Hypotension requiring increased vasopressor Days 1-28

Time frame:
Up to 28 days post randomisation
Reported as:
Number · events
Number of Severe Hypotension Events
eventsPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
Number of Severe Hypotension Events2012
SecondaryNumber of Participants With Barotrauma

Evidence of Pneumothorax requiring Drainage

Time frame:
Up to 90 days post randomisation
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Barotrauma
ParticipantsPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
Number of Participants With Barotrauma32
SecondaryUse of Rescue Therapies for Severe Hypoxaemia - Inhaled Nitric Oxide, Inhaled Prostacyclin, Prone Positioning, High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

The use of various rescue therapies (each of the therapies is compared between groups - per patient). the various therapies measured are inhaled nitric oxide, inhaled prostacyclin, prone positioning, high frequency oscillatory ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

Time frame:
Within hospital admission

Results for this outcome have not been posted.

SecondaryMortality

At timepoints: day 28

Time frame:
at day 28
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Mortality
ParticipantsPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
Mortality1415
SecondaryICU Length of Stay

The number of days a person stayed in the ICU. A fraction of a day is considered a day

Time frame:
From admission to ICU up to 6 months
Reported as:
Median · days
ICU Length of Stay
daysPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
ICU Length of Stay11.1 (6.2 to 20.1)13.8 (6.8 to 22.5)
SecondaryIncidence of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

The incidence of Acute Renal Injury - measured by the use of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) in each person

Time frame:
Within hospital admission

Results for this outcome have not been posted.

SecondaryQuality of Life Assessment

SF36v2 will be used Medical Outcomes Study. Scoring the RAND is a two-step process. First, pre-coded numeric values are recoded. Note that all items are scored so that a high score defines a more favorable health state. In addition, each item is scored on a 0 to 100 range so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Scores represent the percentage of total possible score achieved. In step 2, items in the same scale are averaged together to create the 8 scale scores.

Time frame:
6 months post randomisation

Results for this outcome have not been posted.

SecondaryCost Effectiveness Analysis

This will be based on EQ-5D. EQ-5D is the most widely used health-related quality of life questionnaire in health economic evaluations.\[62\] EQ-5D can be used to derive a set of values that reflect people's opinions of the relative importance of different health problems. These values can be used to derive QALYs for application in cost-effectiveness and cost-utility evaluations.

Time frame:
6 months post randomisation

Results for this outcome have not been posted.

SecondaryHospital Length of Stay

The length of time in days a participant stayed in hospital. A fraction of a day is considered 1 day.

Time frame:
From admission up to 6 months
Reported as:
Median · Days
Hospital Length of Stay
DaysPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
Hospital Length of Stay20.1 (8.1 to 37.2)17.9 (9.0 to 39.0)

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse events will be collected from randomisation up until the 90 day follow up, up to 90 days in total. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
PHARLAP Ventilation Group14/57 (24.6%)23/58 (39.7%)9/58 (15.5%)
Control Group Ventilation17/56 (30.4%)15/56 (26.8%)4/56 (7.1%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
Severe HypotensionCardiac disorders20/5812/56
PneumothoraxRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders3/583/56
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventPHARLAP Ventilation GroupControl Group Ventilation
refractory acidosisMetabolism and nutrition disorders9/584/56

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)PHARLAP Intervention ArmControl GroupTotal
Mean54.2 ± 14.053.2 ± 14.453.7 ± 14.2
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)PHARLAP Intervention ArmControl GroupTotal
Female222648
Male363066
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected(Participants)PHARLAP Intervention ArmControl GroupTotal
Count of participants——0
APACHE II score
APACHE II score(units on a scale)PHARLAP Intervention ArmControl GroupTotal
Median23.2 ± 6.822.3 ± 7.722.8 ± 7.2
BMI
BMI(kg/m^2)PHARLAP Intervention ArmControl GroupTotal
Mean31.3 ± 10.130.3 ± 7.230.8 ± 8.6
08

Study locations

27 sites
  • Albury/Wodonga
    Albury, New South Wales, Australia
  • Nepean Hospital
    Kingswood, New South Wales 2747, Australia
  • Royal Prince Alfred
    Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  • Wollongong Hospital
    Wollongong, New South Wales 2500, Australia
  • The Prince Charles Hospital
    Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  • Flinders Medical Centre
    Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  • Geelong Hospital
    Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia
  • The Alfred Hosptial
    Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
  • Adelaide and Meath (Tallaght) Hospital
    Dublin, Ireland
  • Beaumont Hospital
    Dublin, Ireland
  • Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
    Dublin, Ireland
  • St Vincents Hospital
    Dublin, Ireland
  • University Hospital Limerick
    Limerick, Ireland
  • Middlemore Hospital
    Otahuhu, Auckland 1640, New Zealand
  • Auckland City Hospital (DCCM)
    Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
  • Auckland City Hospital CVICU
    Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
  • King Abdulaziz Medical City
    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Peterborough City Hospital
    Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
  • Derriford Hospital
    Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom
  • Princess Royal University Hospital
    Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom
  • Royal Surrey County Hospital
    Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
  • Southmead Hospital
    Bristol, United Kingdom
  • Hull Royal Infirmary
    Hull, United Kingdom
  • King's College Hospital
    London, United Kingdom
  • North Middlesex University Hospital
    London, United Kingdom
  • University Hospital, Lewisham
    London, United Kingdom
  • James Cook University Hospital
    Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Hodgson CL, Cooper DJ, Arabi Y, King V, Bersten A, Bihari S, Brickell K, Davies A, Fahey C, Fraser J, McGuinness S, Murray L, Parke R, Paul E, Tuxen D, Vallance S, Young M, Nichol A. Maximal Recruitment Open Lung Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (PHARLAP). A Phase II, Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 Dec 1;200(11):1363-1372. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201901-0109OC. PubMed 31356105 ↗
  • Hodgson C, Cooper DJ, Arabi Y, Bennett V, Bersten A, Brickell K, Davies A, Fahey C, Fraser J, McGuinness S, Murray L, Parke R, Tuxen D, Vallance S, Young M, Nichol AD; PHARLAP Study Investigators and the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group. Permissive Hypercapnia, Alveolar Recruitment and Low Airway Pressure (PHARLAP): a protocol for a phase 2 trial in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Crit Care Resusc. 2018 Jun;20(2):139-149. PubMed 29852853 ↗
  • Bihari S, Bersten A, Paul E, McGuinness S, Dixon D, Sinha P, Calfee CS, Nichol A, Hodgson C; PHARLAP Study Investigators. Acute respiratory distress syndrome phenotypes with distinct clinical outcomes in PHARLAP trial cohort. Crit Care Resusc. 2023 Oct 18;23(2):163-170. doi: 10.51893/2021.2.oa3. eCollection 2021 Jun. PubMed 38045528 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Nov 25, 2014
  • Informed consent form · Sep 18, 2013

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC RC), Monash University supports the view that: * Publicly funded research data should be made available with as few restrictions as possible * Data sharing could enhance public well-being by maximising utilisation of gained knowledge, reducing redundant research and facilitating scientific innovation, * Data sharing must be responsible, recognise legal, regulatory, ethical and commercial constraints. The ANZIC-RC has formulated a policy and process to allow appropriate and responsible sharing of research data including prospective and completed studies. This Policy was guided by, Institute of Medicine principles for responsible sharing of clinical trial data: * Maximise the benefits of clinical trials * Minimising the risks of data sharing * Respect individual participants * Increase public trust in clinical trials * Conduct the sharing of trial data in a fair manner * Appropriately manage conflicts of interest.

Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Icf, Csr, Analytic code

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 18, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01667146
Lead sponsor
Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre
Collaborators
University College Dublin
Responsible party
Carol Hodgson (Dr Carol Hodgson, Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 17, 2012
Start date
Oct 2012
Primary completion
Oct 2017
Completion
Mar 2018
Results posted
Jul 18, 2024
Last update
Jul 18, 2024

Study contacts

Carol Hodgson, PhD, FACP, BAppSc
study chair · Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC)
Alistair Nichol, PhD, FCICM
study chair · Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC)

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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