ANZCTR search results

ECMO-PROMPT is a trial that focuses on improving the long-term disability, functional status and health outcomes for survivors of ECMO therapy. Providing the results of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) to patients and their primary care clinicians at hospital discharge and beyond, is an intervention used in other patient groups to support the transition from hospital to home. In this study, ECMO survivors will have PROM monitoring. The intervention group will receive feedback and recommendations.

This research study aims to look at whether physiotherapists working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can identify changes in babies’ lungs to the same level as a neonatologist using Lung Ultrasound (LUS) scans. Physiotherapists working in the NICU may provide chest physiotherapy (CPT) to preterm babies to help treat certain respiratory pathologies. Not all preterm babies require CPT and currently physiotherapists use multiple assessment tools to identify appropriate babies in lieu of a single existing Gold Standard measurement tool. Current assessment tools have inherent challenges and are not considered clinimetrically robust. LUS has been suggested as a new physiotherapy assessment tool because of its high level of valid, reliable and feasible lung imaging, that can be performed in real-time by the bedside, without exposing babies to radiation. This project will investigate whether neonatal physiotherapists can reliably interpret LUS scans compared to an experienced neonatologist. Results may allow physiotherapists to use LUS as an assessment tool in the future to help more safely and correctly identify babies who may benefit from chest physiotherapy.

The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of LUS compared to routine chest physiotherapy outcome measures in determining the need for and effect of physiotherapy on neonates. This will be done by comparing whether LUS is better at guiding CPT treatment than looking at the lungs with CXR and listening to the lungs using a stethoscope. Results may help us improve how CPT is delivered to babies in the future.

The GIFT Trial is a randomised, controlled, blinded, parallel group trial to compare the effect of supplementary pasteurised donor human milk versus infant formula on length of neonatal hospital stay, morbidity, breastfeeding, growth, development and health care costs in clinically well pre-term infants born between 32+0 and 36+6, with a birth weight >=1500g and with insufficient maternal breast milk available. The GIFT Trial hypothesises that the use of donor milk instead of infant formula, as a supplement to maternal breast milk, in moderate-late preterm infants will reduce the time spent in hospital after birth.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a short injection of a drug called bevacizumab into the abdominal cavity (known as intraperitoneal infusion) after drainage of excess fluid in the abdomen may delay the return of the ascites compared to an injection of saline only. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are an adult with symptomatic, cytologically confirmed malignant ascites arising from a solid organ malignancy, excluding pancreatic cancer. In addition, you are either not receiving or not planned to receive additional systemic anticancer treatment for the duration of study treatment. Study details Participants will be randomly allocated to either receive bevacizumab with saline, or saline alone, into the abdominal cavity through an intraperitoneal infusion. This will be followed by a larger infusion of saline over a 30-60 minute period. This therapeutic drainage process may be repeated for re-accumulation of ascites during the study period, if required. Data from participant electronic medical records and quality of life questionnaires will be collected. It is hoped that this research will help demonstrate the potential activity of bevacizumab to decrease or delay the re-accumulation of malignant ascites.

Agitation commonly occurs on emergence from general anaesthesia in adult patients. Our hypothesis is that an orientation message and verbal command will be superior to a verbal command alone. The messages will be delivered via noise-cancelling headphones from cessation of general anaesthesia until the patient opens their eyes.

We are conducting a research study to better understand sleep and mental wellbeing in athletes. Sleep is an essential part of successful training and peak athlete performance. Good quality and adequate sleep are also important to support good mental health and wellbeing. There is not much information about sleep interventions to enhance sleep quality and quantity in elite/pre-elite athletes. Nor is there much information about the way that sleep affects mental health in elite/pre-elite athletes. The aim of this study is to learn more about whether a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) sleep intervention protocol can improve sleep and mental wellbeing in athletes. We hypothesise that CBT-I will be efficacious for improving sleep quality in healthy athletes.

Exercise induced stress is common amongst many activities within health care, security, industry and sport. It has consistently been associated with increased inflammation, gastrointestinal disturbances, gastrointestinal symptoms and loss of appetite, resulting in an inability to maintain work-output and/or withdrawal from activity; constituting both a productivity and financial burden. The mechanism responsible for exercise-induced inflammation, and gastrointestinal symptoms appears to be multi-factorial in origin, but ultimately leads to gut surface damage and leakage, and an overall reduction in food and fluid intake. Increased gut leakage during exercise has also previously been linked to subclinical symptoms, heat illnesses, and other clinical manifestations such as exercise-associated bacteraemia. PRSE is a polyphenol-rich extract of sugarcane molasses. Polyphenols are naturally occurring substances in plants, known for their potential health benefits. We will explore the ability of PRSE to reduce exercise-associated gastrointestinal disturbances, including symptomology.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable and progressive lung disease that causes millions of deaths annually worldwide. Intervention in the pre-COPD stage (before COPD diagnosis but when lung damage has begun) may help prevent progression to COPD. Household air pollution (HAP) may worsen respiratory health. We will conduct a feasibility RCT on the use of HEPA air filters to reduce HAP for people with pre-COPD. Our results will inform future, larger research trials.

This is a randomised controlled trial (highest quality evidence) aimed at comparing a newer technique in oxygen delivery (high flow nasal oxygen) to current industry standard technique (face mask oxygen). The study design simulates conditions immediately before the start of a general anaesthetic to test a crucial safety step called preoxygenation. The specific population we are studying are obese, pregnant people who are in late pregnancy (more than 36 weeks). This group is at a high risk of oxygen problems after the start of a general anaesthetic which makes preoxygenation additionally important. Our hypothesis is that high flow nasal oxygen is not worse than face mask oxygen for preoxygenation in this patient group. The results will inform anaesthetic practice for this high risk patient group.