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RELEASE

Hospital ward

Key information

Title:

Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV) vs conventional ventilation for patients with moderate to severe acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (RELEASE).

Chief Investigators: Prof Luigi Camporota, Prof Danny McAuley

Sponsor: University of Warwick

Funder: NIHR HTA programme (NIHR154501)

Registration Number: Registration Pending

Summary:

Approximately 130,000 adults are admitted to critical care units (CCUs) in the UK each year, 40-45% of whom require invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure (AHRF) is the most common reason for IMV and is associated with serious morbidity and a mortality which remains high at ~40%. Although lifesaving, IMV can cause additional lung injury (termed ventilator induced lung injury - VILI).
Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV) is a method of IMV which uses longer inspiration times followed by a brief expiration. The longer inspiration time enables alveolar recruitment and oxygenation while the short expiration time maintains lung volume. This reduces shear-stress damage to the alveoli, whilst maintaining adequate ventilation.

RELEASE aims to investigate, using a multi-centre, parallel group, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial design, the clinical and cost effectiveness of early APRV compared to conventional lung protective invasive mechanical ventilation(IMV) in patients with moderate-severe acute hypoxic respiratory failure (AHRF).

Sample size:

We aim to recruit 710 participants.

Primary outcome:

Duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (time from randomisation to first successful unassisted breathing or death).

Duration:

The total planned project duration is 52 months. Recruitment is anticipated to commence August 2024 for 32 months.

Enquiries:

If you have any questions, please contact the study team via email.

Email: RELEASE@warwick.ac.uk 

Address:

RELEASE Study Team
Warwick Clinical Trials Unit,
Warwick Medical School,
University of Warwick,
Coventry
CV4 7AL

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