COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dangerously low levels of oxygen in the blood kill more than 100,000 people in the United State each year. A $12 million award from National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will help researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine identify the best way to treat it.
The WINDSURFER trial aims to find the most effective non-invasive respiratory support strategy for patients experiencing acute respiratory failure in emergency departments. Short for "WIN ratio analysis to Determine a strategy of non-invasive SUpport for Respiratory Failure in the EmeRgency Department," the study will compare two common approaches: bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) – the delivery of high-pressured oxygen through a tight-fitting face mask, and high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) – the delivery of high-flow oxygen through a specially designed nasal tube.
"This national study represents a major step forward in how we care for patients with respiratory failure in the emergency setting," said Henry E. Wang, MD, MPH, lead researcher and clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine. "HFNO rapidly gained recognition in U.S. emergency departments as a vital treatment for COVID-19. WINDSURFER will be the first head-to-head comparison of HFNO with more recognized treatments like BiPAP."
The trial will be conducted through the Strategies to Innovate Emergency Care Clinical Trials Network (SIREN), a National Institutes of Health-funded research consortium dedicated to advancing emergency and critical care. This group of more than 75 hospitals and academic centers can conduct high-impact clinical trials due to its robust regulatory framework, community engagement strategies and real-time data monitoring systems.
"By leveraging the national reach of the SIREN network and a patient-centered design, we aim to generate definitive evidence that will guide clinical practice across the country," Wang said.
The trial will enroll approximately 500 patients across SIREN sites nationwide.
Lai Wei, PhD, of the Ohio State College of Medicine Center for Biostatistics, will co-lead the data coordinating center of the study in collaboration with the Medical University of South Carolina. Other collaborating institutions include the University of Arizona, Baystate Medical Center and the University of Michigan.
