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CompletedNCT03281993DiagBDUpdated Sep 14, 2017

Apnea Tests as the Methods of Brain Death Diagnosis.

An observational study in Brain Death, Apnea and Pupillary Anomaly, sponsored by Pomeranian Medical University Szczecin. Completed. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-09-14.

Sponsored by Pomeranian Medical University Szczecin · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
76
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

Apnea test (AT) is the most important clinical test performed usually at the end of brain death (BD) diagnosis procedure. Traditional insufflation apnea test (I-AT) cannot be completed in patients with extremely compromised lung function due to rapid blood desaturation and circulatory disturbances. Therefore the investigators decided to verify alternative AT options such as continuous positive airway pressure apnea test (CPAP-AT) in patients with good and poor baseline oxygenation, before implementing them in currently reviewed Polish BD criteria.

Read the detailed description

Apnea test (AT) is one of the most important examination during the diagnosis of brain death. It is usually performed at the end of each series of clinical examinations during diagnostic process. The most popular standard insufflation apnea test (I-AT) may be potentially harmful. It may cause some serious complications including pneumothorax, severe hypoxemia, hemodynamic instability and even cardiac arrest. Therefore, the investigators decided to analyze apnea test in CPAP option (CPAP-AT) as a new tool. For safety of the study the investigators analyzed a method after BD diagnosis.

Methods:

I-AT and hypoventilation with 100 % oxygen (if needed) were performed according to Polish guidelines. Two hours after BD diagnosis was performed extra apnea test in CPAP option (CPAP-AT). Before CPAP-AT the patients were ventilated 100% oxygen. After then the ventilator settings were changed to CPAP mode with PEEP 10 cm H2O, PS 0 cm H2O, FiO2 1,0, flow 6L/min. Emergency apnea ventilation was turned off. At the beginning of CPAP mode and 10 minutes after, blood samples for arterial blood gases (ABG) were collected. If were observed rapid desaturation defined as a decline in O2 saturation below 85%, CPAP-AT was aborted and study was finished.

During routine diagnosis of brain death, pupillary dilation after a neck flexion was observed in one case. Therefore, the investigators decided to use a pupillometer during brain death examination to find out how pupils react after a neck flexion and how often it happens.

Pupil measurements were taken immediately after the diagnosis of brain death. The measurements of pupil diameter were taken twice: A - before neck flexion; B - after neck flexion. We used pupillometer: AlgiScan (Equip Medkey BV).

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Conditions studied

  • Brain Death
  • Apnea
  • Pupillary Anomaly

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Keywords

  • apnea test, brain death, pupillometry
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In context

Brain Death

74 studies on the registry are indexed under Brain Death; 10 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 76 is close to the median of 80 across 33 observational studies indexed under Brain Death.

Browse Brain Death studies →

Lead sponsor

Pomeranian Medical University Szczecin is the lead sponsor of 69 studies on the registry; 8 are open to participants now.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Intubated adult ICU patients at the Intensive Care Unit of the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care teaching hospital at the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin during Brain Death diagnosis

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • brain death diagnosis

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • no
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Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
76 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • CPAP-AT

    After 2 hours from I-AT was performed the alternative AT by CPAP ventilation mode. Before CPAP-AT and 10 minutes after blood samples for arterial blood gases (ABG) were collected. If the investigators observe rapid desaturation defined as a decline in O2 saturation below 85%, CPAP-AT was aborterd.

    Other: CPAP AT

Interventions

  • OtherCPAP AT

    If the investigators observe rapid desaturation defined as a decline in O2 saturation below 85%; the CPAP apnea test (CPAP-AT) test was aborted.

    Also known as: change type of ventylation

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline arterial blood gases (ABG) during CPAP-AT

    After 2 hours from I-AT was performed the alternative AT by CPAP ventilation mode. Before CPAP-AT the patients were ventilated 100% oxygen. After then the ventilator parameters were modified to: 0 H2O of pressure support (PS), 10 cm H2O of PEEP, 6l/min of O2 flow and 0.2 l/min of sensitivity. Before the test and 10 minutes after then was taken blood probe to ABG and type of ventilation change to pretest settings. The test is considered valid if there is no respiratory activity despite the rise of PaCO2 above 60mmHg and over 20mmHg above the baseline. If the investigators observe rapid desaturation defined as a decline in O2 saturation below 85%, CPAP-AT was aborterd.

    Time frame: 10 minutes

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Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

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References and documents

Publications

  • Solek-Pastuszka J, Sawicki M, Iwanczuk W, Bohatyrewicz R. Ventilator-Delivered Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for Apnea Test in the Diagnosis of Brain Death in Patient With Extremely Poor Baseline Lung Function-Case Report. Transplant Proc. 2016 Sep;48(7):2471-2472. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2016.02.089. PubMed 27742325 ↗
  • Saucha W, Solek-Pastuszka J, Bohatyrewicz R, Knapik P. Apnea test in the determination of brain death in patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther. 2015;47(4):368-71. doi: 10.5603/AIT.2015.0051. PubMed 26401745 ↗
  • Solek-Pastuszka J, Saucha W, Iwanczuk W, Bohatyrewicz R. Evolution of apnoea test in brain death diagnostics. Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther. 2015;47(4):363-7. doi: 10.5603/AIT.2015.0050. PubMed 26401744 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 14, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03281993
Lead sponsor
Pomeranian Medical University Szczecin
Responsible party
Joanna Sołek-Pastuszka (MD PhD, Pomeranian Medical University Szczecin) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 13, 2017
Start date
Jun 25, 2015
Primary completion
Jun 25, 2015
Completion
Jun 25, 2017
Last update
Sep 14, 2017

Study contacts

Joanna Pastuszka, MD PhD
principal investigator · Pomeranian Medical University

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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