Having your pet visit you while you're in intensive care
Can a Patient in Intensive Care be Visited by His or Her Pet? Feasibility Study.
This trial will test whether visits from a patient's own dog or cat help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and lower stress in conscious adults recovering in the ICU.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 30 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Annonay and 1 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT06121050 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Many ICU survivors report anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress, so improving the patient experience is a priority. This interventional program brings patients' own pets (mainly dogs or cats) into the ICU when patients are medically stable, with infection-control and animal-behavior precautions. Eligible participants are conscious adults who own a pet, can give written consent, and are not receiving mechanical ventilation, vasoactive support, or extracorporeal therapies and are not immunosuppressed. The project will monitor psychological symptoms, stress markers, and any safety or infection events to determine feasibility, safety, and effects on patient comfort.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Conscious adult ICU patients who own a dog or cat, are medically stable (no mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, active extracorporeal support, or immunosuppression), and can provide informed consent in French are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients who are hemodynamically or respiratory unstable, mechanically ventilated, immunosuppressed, colonized with multi‑resistant organisms, have extensive wounds, are under guardianship, pregnant, or cannot communicate in French are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, pet visits could reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms, improve mood and comfort, and make the ICU stay feel more familiar for patients.
How similar studies have performed: Animal-assisted visits with trained animals have shown benefits for anxiety and mood in elderly and psychiatric populations, but bringing a patient's own pet into the ICU is rarely studied and remains a novel approach.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Conscious adult patients with a pet (dog/cat). * Patients with no or no longer hemodynamic or respiratory failure, or undergoing rehabilitation, after resolution of the acute phase or at the end of life. * Patients affiliated to or entitled under a social security scheme. * Patient who has given written informed consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Non-stabilized acute situation (as assessed by the resuscitator). * Mechanical or amine ventilation or extrarenal purification. * Tracheostomy. * Immunosuppression. * Carriage of multi-resistant bacteria. * Behavioral or consciousness disorders. * Pregnancy. * Skin wounds, extensive burns exceeding 15% of body surface area, external fixator. * Guardianship or trusteeship. * Workload incompatible with the visit * Patient unable to speak French.
Where this trial is running
Annonay and 1 other locations
- Centre Hospitalier Ardèche Nord — Annonay, France (Not_yet_recruiting)
- Centre Hospitalier de Saint-Etienne — Saint-Etienne, France (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Cindy POKRANDT — Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne
- Study coordinator: Guillaume THIERY, PhD
- Email: guillaume.thiery@chu-st-etienne.fr
- Phone: 0477127862
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.