ARDS (Moderate or Severe)

Multi-center, randomized, controlled, open-label Phase 2 feasibility trial. Subjects on mechanical ventilation (MV) for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) with lung injury (including subjects who meet criteria for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)) will be randomized 2:1 to diaphragm neurostimulation-assisted ventilation (DNAV) using the AeroNova System plus lung-protective ventilation (Treatment) vs. lung-protective ventilation alone (Control).

This study is a randomized, blank-controlled, open-label, single-dose, dose-escalation clinical study of rhKGF-2 in patients with ARDS. The trial is designed with three dose groups (5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg), which will be escalated sequentially from the lowest dose group to the highest dose group. Each dose group will enroll 8 subjects, randomized in a 6:2 ratio according to the order of enrollment, to receive either the corresponding dose of rhKGF-2 (6 subjects) or serve as a blank control (2 subjects). Each subject will receive a single dose, administered once via a disposable bronchoscopic catheter. All subjects will receive the trial intervention on top of standard ARDS treatment (see Concomitant Medications for details). Following the completion of drug administration, subjects will enter a 28-day follow-up period. Outcome measures include adverse events (AE), vital signs, laboratory parameters, oxygenation index (PFR), chest imaging changes, etc., to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the treatment.

To verify whether the transpulmonary pressure-guided mechanical ventilation strategy can reduce right ventricular involvement, especially the incidence of acute cor pulmonale (ACP), in patients with moderate to severe ARDS induced by pneumonia compared with the currently widely used right ventricular protective mechanical ventilation strategy.

During the prone position, there may be an increase in intragastric pressure. The investigators focus on a scientific question: Whether reducing enteral nutrition before the prone position will benefit patients with severe mechanically ventilated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The experimental group had the enteral nutrition dose reduced before the prone position, while the control group did not have the enteral nutrition dose reduced

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether inhaled nitric oxide (iNO), added to standard care, can reduce mortality in adults with moderate-to-severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The main questions it aims to answer are: Does iNO therapy reduce 28-day all-cause mortality compared to standard care alone? Does iNO therapy increase the number of ventilator-free days through day 28? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare the group receiving iNO plus standard care with the group receiving placebo plus standard care to see if iNO improves survival and other clinical outcomes. Participants will: Be randomly assigned to receive either iNO or a placebo through the ventilator. Receive all other standard treatments for ARDS as per current guidelines. Be closely monitored for 28 days to track survival, time on the ventilator, and safety.

Rationale: In patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF), preserving spontaneous breathing during mechanical ventilation offers physiological benefits, but also carries risks. While spontaneous breathing improves gas exchange and limits diaphragm atrophy, strong inspiratory efforts may worsen lung and diaphragm injury. Balancing these factors requires refined and tailored strategies, such as the modulation of PEEP. However, the impact of PEEP on neural respiratory drive and inspiratory effort is very heterogenous, and these two entities have only been studied separately in limited subsets of patients and healthy subjects. Additionally, it remains unclear whether the major determinant of PEEP-induced changes in respiratory drive and effort is represented by variations in diaphragm geometry, lung compliance, or by the presence of expiratory muscles recruitment, which may counteract its effect. Objective: The primary objective is to determine the effect of PEEP on diaphragm neuromechanical efficiency (i.e. an index of neural respiratory drive and inspiratory effort) in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure during invasive assisted mechanical ventilation. The secondary objective is to determine the major physiological contributors to PEEP-mediated changes in diaphragm neuromechanical efficiency. Study design: Prospective, physiological study. Study population: Invasively mechanically ventilated adult patients admitted to the ICU. Intervention: For each patient, six different PEEP levels (15-12-10-8-5-2 cmH2O) will be tested during a decremental PEEP trial. During each step, neural respiratory drive, inspiratory effort, expiratory muscle activity, lung inflation pattern through electrical impedance tomography, respiratory muscle geometry and function through ultrasound and surface EMG, gas exchange and hemodynamics data will be collected. Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome of the study will be the evaluation of PEEP-mediated changes in diaphragm neuromechanical efficiency (NME).

Prone Positioning in ARDS: Predicting Neurological Complications via Cerebral Hemodynamics

1. To evaluate the dynamic changes of lung ultrasound during electrical impedance tomography (EIT) PEEP titration and across the first week of ARDS. 2. To asses respiratory effort by diaphragmatic function, esophageal pressure, and EIT (Pendelluft phenomenon), and hyperinflammatory biomarkers, to predict P-SILI. 3. To develop predictive models for weaning success based on integrated EELI and thoracic ultrasound.

Mechanical ventilation is essential for managing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but it can also cause ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) due to mechanical forces. VILI results from the interaction between lung structure and mechanical ventilation factors, such as tidal volume, plateau pressure, driving pressure, inspiratory flow, respiratory rate, and PEEP. Intrinsic factors like lung heterogeneity further increase the risk. Elastic power (EP), a key component, is linked to repetitive alveolar stretching and disease progression. Study Objectives: Examine the correlation between elastic power and pulmonary hyperinflation. Compare EP's sensitivity and specificity with other overdistension markers like driving pressure, plateau pressure, upper inflection point, and compliance.