Understanding care patterns and outcomes for patients needing long-term mechanical ventilation
Official title: Prolonged mechanical ventilation: patterns of post-acute care and patient outcomes
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-10867352 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how the type of care patients receive after surviving serious breathing problems and needing a ventilator for a long time affects their recovery and costs, so we can find better ways to help them in the future.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2020 |
| Project end | June 30, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $166,192 |
| NIH project number | 5K23HL153482-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-10867352 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients who are mechanically ventilated for more than 96 hours and are at high risk of requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not require mechanical ventilation or those with short-term ventilation needs may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the care provided to patients who survive severe respiratory failure but require prolonged mechanical ventilation for more than two weeks. It aims to understand how different post-acute care settings, such as long-term acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, impact patient outcomes and healthcare costs. By examining the decision-making processes that occur before patients begin prolonged mechanical ventilation, the study seeks to identify factors that influence their care trajectory and long-term health. The research will involve analyzing data from patients at high risk for needing prolonged ventilation to improve future care strategies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved care practices and better health outcomes for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has indicated that understanding care patterns for critically ill patients can lead to significant improvements in patient outcomes, suggesting that this approach has potential for success.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Law, Anica C — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Law, Anica C
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Advancing Acute Respiratory Infection Care for Kids on Home Ventilators
This grant aims to improve how doctors and families manage acute respiratory infections in children who rely on invasive long-term home ventilation.
-
A Tablet-Based Emotion Regulation Program for Surrogate Decision-Makers of ICU Patients on Ventilation
A randomized trial tests a brief tablet program to help people who decide for ICU patients on ventilation feel less anxious and make better decisions.
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Optimizing pain relief for children on mechanical ventilation
A large, multi-site trial tests whether adding non-opioid pain medicines to standard opioid care can reduce pain and lower opioid use in children on breathing machines in PICUs.
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Role of titin in diaphragm weakness during mechanical ventilation
This grant studies how the diaphragm’s core proteins work together, especially titin and myosin, to understand why diaphragm weakness happens during mechanical ventilation.
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Time-limited trials to guide invasive ventilation decisions
A scientific team is testing how short, structured trials of life-support in ICU patients with acute respiratory failure can help patients and families choose the best path.
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How breathing machines can harm the kidneys
Doctors will look at how ventilators change kidney filtering and salt handling in people who are critically ill to help prevent kidney damage.
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.