An observational study in Dyspnea, sponsored by Yonsei University. Recruiting at 1 site in South Korea. Open to participants aged 19 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-17.
Sponsored by Yonsei University · Observational
This prospective observational study aims to evaluate whether the difference between finger, earlobe and forehead SpO₂ (ΔSpO₂) measured at emergency department (ED) presentation is associated with clinical outcomes in adult patients presenting with dyspnea. We will compare ΔSpO₂ between patients with poor outcomes (death or intensive care unit [ICU] admission) and those with favorable outcomes. Secondary objectives include assessing the prognostic value of ΔSpO₂ for mortality, ICU admission, and lactate, and comparing its predictive performance with established early warning scores.
This is a prospective observational cohort study conducted in a single ED to evaluate the prognostic significance of inter-site differences in pulse oximetry in adult patients presenting with dyspnea.
Adult patients (≥19 years) presenting with dyspnea and classified as Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) levels 1-3 will be enrolled at the time of ED admission. During initial vital sign assessment at ED presentation, SpO₂ will be simultaneously measured at the finger, earlobe, and forehead, along with the corresponding perfusion index at each site.
The primary exposure of interest is the difference between finger and earlobe SpO₂ (ΔSpO₂). Additional inter-site SpO₂ differences involving forehead measurements will also be evaluated. Clinical and physiological data at presentation will be collected prospectively, while outcome data will be obtained through retrospective medical record review.
The primary outcome is the mean difference in ΔSpO₂ between patients with poor outcomes-defined as all-cause mortality from ED admission to hospital discharge or intensive care unit (ICU) admission-and those with favorable outcomes. Secondary outcomes include the associations of ΔSpO₂ with mortality, ICU admission, endotracheal intubation, serum lactate levels, and perfusion index, as well as the predictive performance of ΔSpO₂ using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The prognostic value of ΔSpO₂ will also be compared with established early warning scores such as NEWS.
894 studies on the registry are indexed under Dyspnea; 189 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 400 is above the median of 106 across 272 observational studies indexed under Dyspnea.
Browse Dyspnea studies →Yonsei University is the lead sponsor of 1,418 studies on the registry; 241 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
We will enroll patients who meet the enrollment criteria who visit an emergency department of a tertiary teaching hospital located in Seoul, South Korea.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients visiting emergency department with dyspnea who are categorized to KTAS 1-3
In-hospital mortality or ICU admission
In-hospital mortality or ICU admission of index visit
Time frame: From the index emergency department visit through hospital discharge, assessed up to 6 months.
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared due to concerns regarding patient privacy and personal information protection.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started May 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Mar 2027, 10 months after the start.
Of 116 non-industry observational studies under Dyspnea, half reached primary completion within 26 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 47. This study's planned 10 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 125 studies reached it within 24 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 46.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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