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Indirect Calorimetry Guided Energy Provision in Critically Ill Patients With Obesity

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Obesity
Critical Illness
Interventions
Other: Indirect calorimetry (Standard care nutrition arm)
Other: Indirect calorimetry
Registration Number
NCT06053216
Lead Sponsor
Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre
Brief Summary

The DIRECT trial is a prospective, multi-centre, two arm parallel feasibility pilot randomised controlled trial. The primary aim is to determine the feasibility of using repeat indirect calorimetry measurements to direct energy delivery in critically ill patients with obesity.

The trial will recruit 60 mechanically ventilated patients from 4-6 ICUs in Australia and New Zealand.

Detailed Description

Indirect calorimetry is the current reference standard for measuring energy expenditure during critical illness, allowing for personalisation of energy delivery. Use of indirect calorimetry may be important in mitigating under- and overfeeding and associated adverse outcomes. This may be particularly important in patients with obesity, where energy expenditure is difficult to estimate, and limited data is available on the optimal nutritional management of this subgroup.

Although access to indirect calorimetry is gradually improving, it remains an underutilised tool and skills required to complete and interpret measurements are limited which may hinder use and integration into practice. There is a resulting knowledge gap on the impact of indirect calorimetry on outcomes in comparison to standard care predictive equations.

A definitive and pragmatic trial is needed to assess the impact of guiding energy delivery with indirect calorimetry on patient outcomes. Importantly, confirming the feasibility of using indirect calorimetry to guide energy delivery is needed to define optimal measurement protocols prior to completion of a larger trial.

The primary aim of the DIRECT trial is to determine the feasibility of using repeat indirect calorimetry measurements to direct energy delivery in critically ill patients with obesity. The secondary aim is to inform a larger trial by collecting process, nutrition, functional, clinical and safety outcomes.

The investigators will consider the main trial feasible to conduct if 2 of the following 3 feasibility criteria are achieved: (a) recruitment rate is ≥ 1 patient per calendar month; (b) between group separation of ≥20% in energy adequacy during ICU admission is achieved in relation to measured energy expenditure and; (c) the number of indirect calorimetry measurements completed/planned ≥60% during ICU admission.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
60
Inclusion Criteria
  • Adult (≥ 18 years) patients
  • Body mass index ≥30 kg/m2
  • Between day 3 and 6 of index ICU admission
  • Receiving invasive mechanical ventilation
  • Receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition
Exclusion Criteria
  • Receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support
  • Major burns (≥20% total body surface area)
  • Unable to perform indirect calorimetry within 24 hours of randomisation
  • Known pregnancy
  • Death is imminent
  • Treating clinician believes the study is not in the best interest of the patient

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Standard care nutritionIndirect calorimetry (Standard care nutrition arm)Energy delivery will be according to predictive equation estimates and usual site practice from day 4 to 28 of hospital admission.
Individualised energy deliveryIndirect calorimetryEnergy delivery will be guided by indirect calorimetry, with the aim to meet 80-100% of the most recent energy expenditure measurement from day 4 to 28 of hospital admission.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Feasibility: Treatment separation in energy adequacyDuring ICU admission (up to day 28)

Energy adequacy % will be calculated as daily energy delivery (kcal)/ measured energy expenditure (kcal) and expressed as a percentage.

Feasibility: Protocol adherenceDuring ICU admission (up to day 28)

Number of indirect calorimetry measurements completed/planned.

Feasibility: Recruitment rateDuring ICU admission (up to day 28)

Patients per site, per month

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Treatment separation in energy adequacyPost-ICU period (up to day 28)

Energy adequacy % will be calculated as energy delivery (kcal)/ measured energy expenditure (kcal) and expressed as a percentage

Protocol adherencePost-ICU period (up to day 28)

Number of indirect calorimetry measurements completed/ planned

Reasons for indirect calorimetry measurement non-completionUp to day 28

Reported overall and separately for ventilated and canopy measurements

Clinician acceptability relating to use of indirect calorimetry in routine clinical care (questionnaire)Up to day 28

Reported separately for ventilated and canopy measurements. A combination of yes/no, multiple-choice and Likert scale (1 (minimum) - 5 (maximum)) questions are included.

Cumulative difference in energy delivery compared to prescribed energy expenditureDay 28

kcal; reported overall and separately for ventilated and canopy measurements

Nutritional statusBaseline, ICU (up to day 28) and hospital discharge (up to day 28)

Assessed using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria where malnutrition diagnosis is based on meeting predefined phenotypic and etiologic criteria (PMID: 30181091). Severity of malnutrition (moderate or severe) is determined based on the phenotypic criterion related to severity of unintentional weight loss.

Patient acceptability relating to use of indirect calorimetry in routine clinical care (questionnaire)Up to day 28

Reported for canopy measurements only. A combination of yes/no, multiple-choice and Likert scale (1 (minimum) - 5 (maximum)) questions are included.

Cumulative difference in energy delivery compared to measured energy expenditureDay 28

kcal; reported overall and separately for ventilated and canopy measurements

Handgrip strengthHospital discharge (up to day 28)

Measured using a hand dynamometer

Duration of mechanical ventilationDay 28

Duration of mechanical ventilation (days)

ICU length of stayDay 28

Duration of ICU stay (days)

Hospital length of stayDay 28

Duration of hospital stay (days)

SurvivalICU discharge (up to day 28), in-hospital (up to day 28) and 90 day

ICU, in-hospital and 90 day mortality

European Quality Of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level (EQ5D-5L)Day 90

Health related quality of life assessment using EQ5D-5L. Each dimension has 5 levels ranging from no problems (1) to extreme problems (5), there is no overall score. It also has a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging 0-100 with 0 being worst imaginable health state and 100 being best imaginable health state

World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS)Day 90

WHODAS is a 12 point disability assessment with a raw score range of 0-48. 0 is no disability and 48 being full disability

Trial Locations

Locations (3)

Ballarat Base Hospital, Grampians Health

🇦🇺

Ballarat Central, Victoria, Australia

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

🇦🇺

Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia

The Alfred Hospital

🇦🇺

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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