An interventional study of Nanotechnology respiratory monitor in Respiratory Monitoring, sponsored by University College, London. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-16.
Sponsored by University College, London · Not applicable, Interventional, and Device feasibility
The Problem - About one in three patients get even more sick while they are in hospital. This often happens because of chest infections, sepsis (very serious infection), or heart problems. These illnesses can make it hard to breathe. They are even more dangerous when patients already have breathing problems.
Nurses and doctors need to spot when someone is getting worse as early as possible, so they can help them. For example, giving medicines quickly for sepsis can save lives. Sometimes it's hard to tell when someone is getting worse. Sometimes it's noticed too late. This can be very dangerous. In 2023, nearly 8,000 people died because their illness wasn't spotted quickly enough.
Even if patients don't die, they might need longer in hospital and more care. This costs the NHS a lot more money. It also means fewer beds for other patients. Finding better ways to spot these problems early is an important goal.
The Opportunity - Research shows checking patients more often helps spot problems early. Nurses do many routine checks. These include blood pressure, temperature, heart rate and oxygen levels.
Nurses also check the breathing rate (the number of breaths per minute). Breathing rate is the best way to tell if someone is getting sicker. But it is also the hardest to measure properly. The machines we have don't do it well. So, nurses stand by the patient and count how fast they are breathing. This takes time and can be wrong if the patient talks or moves. Sometimes, it's not done at all.
The Need - Breathing rate is very useful. But we don't have good tools to measure it easily. We need something simple and accurate. It should also be comfortable for patients and fit into normal hospital care.
Our New Idea - RespiraFibre - We've made a new device called RespiraFibre. It's a tiny, smart sensor. It attaches to the oxygen masks or tubes that patients already wear. It can tell how the patient is breathing. If something is wrong, it sends a warning to the nurse or doctor.
In this project, we will:
The Impact - We want to treat patients fast if they get sick. To do this, we need early warnings if things are getting worse. This will lead to better care, fewer deaths, and lower costs for the NHS. Our work with RespiraFibre will help make this happen.
Clinical study to assess the function of a novel nanotechnology breathing monitor. It will involve a validation study and a feasibility study of the technology.
University College, London is the lead sponsor of 632 studies on the registry; 145 are open to participants now.
Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (33%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Our monitor will be compared to the gold standard for respiratory rate monitoring, capnography. It will also be compared to direct expert manual respiratory rate assessment performed by the research team for added validation and to recognise that capnography is not infallible.
Device: Nanotechnology respiratory monitor
We will observe use of our monitor in its planned ultimate environment - hospital wards. We will assess function and monitoring capability and compare it to standard of care.
Device: Nanotechnology respiratory monitor
Patented wireless nanotechnology breathing monitor integrated into oxygen delivery devices to provide continuous respiratory monitoring.
Validation of respiratory rate measurement against capnography
Comparison of respiratory rate captured by experiemental device against that captured by capnography
Time frame: within 6 months
Demonstrate successful function on hospital wards
Demonstration of continuous respiratory rate monitoring in patients on hospital wards with comparison to usual care
Time frame: within 30 months
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University College, London