Having your pet visit you while you're in intensive care
Official title: Can a Patient in Intensive Care be Visited by His or Her Pet? Feasibility Study.
Run by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne · NCT06121050 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 30 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Annonay and 1 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 3, 2025 |
| Main results expected | March 2029 |
| Study ends | June 2029 |
| Registry record updated | September 21, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06121050 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a 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.
✕Probably 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.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
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.
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 gone: 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.
Who can join: the full rules
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 it's running
-
Centre Hospitalier de Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne, France Recruiting -
Centre Hospitalier Ardèche Nord
Annonay, France Not yet 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
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.