-
Tuesday, 12/14/2010
Hospital Clinic of Barcelona enrolls first patient into the Gravity-VAP trial
The Gravity-VAP trial is a prospective, randomized multi-center trial the aim of which is to reduce the incidence of Ventilation-Associated Pneumonia (VAP). The study has been designed by researchers from the Gravity-VAP Network.
In early December Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain, enrolled the very first patient into the Gravity-VAP trial. The trial focuses on the effects on incidence of VAP of maintaining critically ill, tracheally intubated patients in lateral- Trendelenburg position vs. standard semi-recumbent position. The aim is to reduce the incidence of VAP in mechanically-ventilated patients intubated for more than 48 hours.
VAP is the most frequent pathology among tracheally intubated patients. Not only studies have confirmed the importance of gravity in the pathogenesis of VAP, but they have also demonstrated that tracheal orientation below horizontal can totally prevent aspiration of oropharyngeal contents across the ETT cuff and avoid bacterial translocation from the oropharynx into the lungs.
The Gravity-VAP trial has been designed by the following researchers from the Gravity-VAP Network:
- Dr. Gianluigi Li Bassi (PI) and Prof. Antoni Torres (Chief Critical Care Department), Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Spain
- Dr. Mauri Panigada (PI), Dr. Massimo Cressoni (Associate Investigator) and Prof. Lucinano Gattioni (Chief of Critical Care Department), Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milán, Italy
- Dr. Lorenzo Berra (PI) and Prof. Jeanine Wiener-Kronish (Chief Critical Care Department), Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, EE.UU
- Dr. Alberto Zanella (PI) and Prof. Antonio Pesenti (Chief Critical Care Department), Hospital San Gerardo de Monza, Milán, Italy
- Dr. Theodor Kolobow (retired), National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD, USA