Protocol summary and statistical analysis plan for ntensive utrition herapy compard to usual care i criically ill adults (INTENT): a phase II randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

It is plausible that a longer duration of nutrition intervention may have a greater impact on clinical and patient-centred outcomes. The Intensive Nutrition care Therapy comparEd to usual care iN criTically ill adults (INTENT) trial will determine if a whole hospital nutrition intervention is feasible and will deliver more total energy compared with usual care in critically ill patients with at least one organ system failure.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This study is a prospective, multicentre, unblinded, parallel-group, phase II randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted in 23 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. Mechanically ventilated critically ill adult patients with at least one organ failure who have been in intensive care unit (ICU) for 72-120 hours and meet all of the inclusion and none of the exclusion criteria will be randomised to receive either intensive or usual nutrition care. INTENT started recruitment in October 2018 and a sample size of 240 participants is anticipated to be recruited in 2022. The study period is from randomisation to hospital discharge or study day 28, whichever occurs first, and the primary outcome is daily energy delivery from nutrition therapy. Secondary outcomes include daily energy and protein delivery during ICU and in the post-ICU period, duration of ventilation, ventilator-free days, total bloodstream infection rate and length of hospital stay. All other outcomes are considered tertiary and results will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval has been received in Australia (Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee (HREC/18/Alfred/101) and Human Research Ethics Committee of the Northern Territory Department of Health (2019-3372)) and New Zealand (Northern A Health and Disability Ethics Committee (18/NTA/222). Results will be disseminated in an international peer-reviewed journal(s), at scientific meetings and via social media.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03292237.

A randomised feasibility study to assess a novel strategy to rationalise fluid in patients after cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

After cardiac surgery, patients receive large amounts of fluid in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We plan to conduct a multi-centre randomised controlled trial, of a conservative fluid regime, in patients after cardiac surgery, and have reported results of a feasibility study that evaluated efficacy and safety of the proposed regime.

METHODS

After ethical approval, a single-centre, prospectively randomised interventional study was undertaken. Participants were randomised to either usual care, or to a protocolised algorithm, utilising stroke volume variation, to guide fluid administration to patients who were deemed to have inadequate cardiac output and were likely to be volume responsive. The study protocol lasted from ICU admission to de-sedation or 24 h, whichever occurred first.

RESULTS

We randomised 144 subjects over 9 months. Less bolus fluid and less total overall fluid volume was administered in the intervention group (median (IQR) 1620 ml (500-3410) and 2525 ml (1440-5250; P<0.001), compared with the usual care group (2050 ml (910-4280) and 2980 ml (2070-6580; P=0.001), from ICU admission to extubation. There was no significant difference in incidence of acute kidney injury or the average amount of fluid administered to the usual care group at the beginning compared with the end of the study.

CONCLUSION

It is both possible and safe to achieve a significant reduction in the amount of fluid administered to patients, allocated to a conservative fluid protocol. These results suggest that a planned multi-centre study is both justified and feasible.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry www.anzctr.org.au (ACTRN12612000754842).