An observational study in Blunt Chest Trauma, Respiratory Failure and Thoracic Injuries, sponsored by Assiut University. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-08.
Sponsored by Assiut University · Observational
Blunt chest trauma is a leading cause of emergency hospital visits and can result in severe breathing complications such as hypoxemic respiratory failure. While computed tomography (CT) scans provide detailed imaging of the chest, their routine use is limited by radiation exposure, high cost, and the inability to perform frequent bedside monitoring. Bedside lung ultrasound (LUS) is commonly used to detect structural injuries like lung contusions or collapsed lungs, but it cannot assess how well the breathing muscles are working. Because acute respiratory failure after chest trauma involves both lung tissue damage and impaired breathing muscle mechanics, combining lung ultrasound with diaphragmatic ultrasound may improve early risk assessment.
The primary purpose of this prospective cohort study is to determine whether combining point-of-care lung ultrasound with diaphragmatic ultrasound provides better early prediction of hypoxemic respiratory failure than lung ultrasound alone in adult patients with isolated blunt chest trauma.
Participants will undergo bedside lung ultrasound, diaphragmatic ultrasound, and arterial blood gas testing at four standardized time points: upon hospital admission (baseline), and at 6, 12, and 24 hours after admission. The lung ultrasound examination assesses the degree of lung tissue injury using a standardized 12-zone Lung Ultrasound Score (LUS). Diaphragmatic ultrasound measures muscle movement (diaphragmatic excursion) and contraction strength (diaphragm thickening fraction). Arterial blood gas results will be used to track oxygenation via the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, with a ratio of 300 mmHg or lower defining hypoxemic respiratory failure. All participants will also receive a standard-of-care chest CT scan as a reference comparison.
The study aims to evaluate whether this non-invasive, radiation-free bedside approach helps emergency physicians identify high-risk patients earlier, guiding timely respiratory support and intensive care triage while minimizing the need for repeated CT scans.
1,369 studies on the registry are indexed under Respiratory Insufficiency; 264 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 130 is above the median of 100 across 455 observational studies indexed under Respiratory Insufficiency.
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Adult patients presenting to the emergency room of the Trauma Unit at Assiut University Hospitals within 24 hours of sustaining isolated blunt chest trauma.
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Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adult patients presenting within 24 hours of isolated blunt chest trauma. All participants undergo serial bedside point-of-care lung ultrasound (12-zone protocol to calculate total LUS) and diaphragmatic ultrasound (measuring diaphragmatic excursion \[DE\] and diaphragm thickening fraction \[DTF\]), paired with arterial blood gas analysis to calculate the PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio at four predefined time points: admission (baseline), 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours post-admission. Patients also undergo baseline chest CT imaging as a standard reference.
Ratio of Arterial Oxygen Partial Pressure to Fractional Inspired Oxygen (PaO2/FiO2)
PaO2/FiO2 ratio will be calculated using arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis. Hypoxemic respiratory failure is defined as a PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 300 mmHg or less. Values will be measured in mmHg.
Time frame: 1 day
No study locations are listed for this record.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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