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Not yet recruitingNCT07093372Updated Jul 30, 2025

LMA vs High-flow Nasal Oxygen During ECT in Obese Patients

An interventional study of Laryngeal Mask Airway and High-Flow Nasal Cannula in Electroconvulsive Therapy Treated Patients and Obesity, sponsored by Eulji University Hospital. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 19 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-07-30.

Sponsored by Eulji University Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jun 2026, 4 months ago, but the record still lists the study as not yet recruiting.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
25
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
19 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study aims to compare two oxygenation strategies-laryngeal mask airway (LMA) ventilation and high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC)-during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in obese patients. Due to their physiological characteristics, obese patients are at increased risk of hypoxia during ECT under general anesthesia.

Adult patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 who are scheduled to undergo ECT will participate. Each participant will receive both oxygenation strategies in a fixed alternating order during four consecutive ECT sessions. The procedures will follow standard anesthesia protocols.

During the ECT procedures and the 30-minute recovery period in the post-anesthesia care unit, we will monitor the occurrence of hypoxia (SpO₂ \<92%), ventilator parameters, vital signs, postoperative confusion within 24 hours, and any reports of dental discomfort. This information will help assess the safety and clinical utility of each oxygenation method for obese patients receiving ECT.

Read the detailed description

Obesity is a known risk factor for perioperative hypoxia due to physiological changes such as increased airway resistance, reduced functional residual capacity, and elevated oxygen demand. These risks are amplified in patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) under general anesthesia, where periods of apnea can result in critical oxygen desaturation.

While laryngeal mask airways (LMAs) and high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy are both recommended strategies to maintain oxygenation during anesthesia, their comparative effectiveness in obese patients undergoing ECT has not been well established. LMAs provide direct airway access and enable positive pressure ventilation but carry a risk of dental trauma. HFNC offers a non-invasive alternative that may prolong safe apnea time, though its oxygenation efficacy during ECT remains unclear.

This study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of LMA versus HFNC in preventing hypoxia during ECT in obese patients. Using a within-subject crossover design, each participant will receive both interventions in alternating ECT sessions. This trial will help determine the optimal airway management strategy for minimizing peri-procedural hypoxia in this high-risk population.

The outcome will be assessed during each ECT session as part of a crossover design. All participants will undergo both LMA and HFNC interventions in alternating sessions (LMA during sessions 1 and 3, HFNC during sessions 2 and 4). Oxygen support beyond the assigned method will be recorded when clinically indicated.

02

Conditions studied

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy Treated Patients
  • Obesity

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Keywords

  • electroconvulsive therapy
  • obesity
  • ventilation strategy
03

In context

Obesity

11,522 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 2,033 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 25 is below the median of 67 across 9,006 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.

Browse Obesity studies →

Lead sponsor

Eulji University Hospital is the lead sponsor of 10 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

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

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

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Patients scheduled to undergo ≥ 4 electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) sessions
  • (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m² (WHO obesity classification)
  • (ASA) physical status class I to III
  • Provided written (by patient or legal guardian)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients under 18 years of age
  • Patients with IV or V
  • Patients with anticipated dental injury risk that precludes use of a laryngeal mask airway
  • Patients or guardians who refuse participation
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

ASA physical status

The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
25 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Alternating LMA and HFNC Oxygen Therapy

    All participants will undergo laryngeal mask airway (LMA) ventilation during ECT sessions 1 and 3, and high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy during sessions 2 and 4.

    Device: Laryngeal Mask Airway · Device: High-Flow Nasal Cannula

Interventions

  • DeviceLaryngeal Mask Airway

    A supraglottic airway device (i-gel) used to deliver oxygen and assist ventilation during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in obese patients. The device is inserted after induction of general anesthesia and removed after spontaneous respiration is restored.

  • DeviceHigh-Flow Nasal Cannula

    A heated and humidified oxygen delivery system that provides high flow oxygen through nasal prongs. In this study, it is used throughout the ECT procedure to maintain oxygenation in obese patients without the need for invasive airway insertion.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of hypoxia (SpO₂ <92%) during ECT

    Time frame: During each ECT session (approximately 10-15 minutes)

Secondary outcomes

  1. incidence of hypoxia during recovery

    Time frame: During post-anesthesia recovery (approximately 30-40 minutes)

  2. Lowest peripheral oxygen saturation

    Time frame: From preoxygenation to recovery room discharge (approximately 1 hours)

  3. Duration of hypoxia during ECT and recovery

    Time frame: From preoxygenation to recovery room discharge (approximately 1 hours)

  4. Lowest end-tidal CO₂ before ECT stimulation

    Time frame: Baseline (immediately prior to ECT stimulation)

  5. Percent (%) increase in heart rate after ECT stimulation

    Time frame: During each ECT session (approximately 10-15 minutes)

  6. Duration of seizure (motor and EEG)

    Time frame: During each ECT session (approximately 10-15 minutes)

  7. Postictal Suppression Index (PSI)

    Time frame: During each ECT session (approximately 10-15 minutes)

  8. Husain EEG Seizure Quality Scale

    Time frame: During each ECT session (approximately 10-15 minutes)

  9. Airway management failure rate (LMA reinsertion or intubation required)

    Time frame: During each ECT session (approximately 10-15 minutes)

  10. Number of participants with dental discomfort or tooth injury within 24 hours after ECT

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after each ECT session

  11. Number of participants requiring additional oxygen support during ECT

    Time frame: During each ECT session (approximately 10-15 minutes)

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 30, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07093372
Lead sponsor
Eulji University Hospital
Responsible party
Hyunjae Im (Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Eulji University Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 30, 2025
Start date
Aug 1, 2025 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 31, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 30, 2025

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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