Tracheobronchitis in people recovering after critical illness with a tracheostomy
Official title: Tracheobronchitis in the Critically Ill
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11406098 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies tracheobronchitis that can happen in people recovering from critical illness after a tracheostomy, aiming to understand how often it occurs and what factors influence outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $476,153 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL162964-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11406098 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a tracheostomy admitted to a LTACH who are recovering from a critical illness and at risk for respiratory infections.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without a tracheostomy or not recovering from critical illness may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
The project will enroll patients who have had a tracheostomy in a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital to build a registry and follow them over time. Researchers will track episodes of tracheobronchitis, look at how these episodes affect recovery, mortality, and health care use, and identify clinical predictors of TATB. They will also study changes in airway bacteria and the patient’s innate immune response to understand why some individuals develop TATB. Although antibiotics are used, the study will clarify how often symptoms reflect active infection versus other causes in a colonized population. The findings could guide more targeted testing and better management of respiratory infections in this high-risk group.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could lead to better diagnosis, fewer unnecessary antibiotic uses, and improved respiratory outcomes for people with tracheostomies recovering from critical illness.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work in acute critical illness has explored TATB, but this project uniquely studies the recovery phase in LTACH settings, representing a novel and clinically important extension.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zemke, Anna Christine — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Zemke, Anna Christine
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.