Lead Sponsor

Canadian Critical Care Trials Group

Collaborators

Age

16 - No limit years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

•Patients of either sex, 16 years and above;
•Acute onset of respiratory failure, with fewer than 2 weeks of new pulmonary symptoms;
•Endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy;
•Hypoxaemia - defined as a PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 200 mm Hg;
•Bilateral alveolar consolidation (airspace disease) seen on frontal chest radiograph
•On HFO at the time of screening.

•Remaining duration of mechanical ventilation \< 48 hours, as judged by the attending physician;
•Primary cause of acute respiratory failure judged by attending physician to be cardiac in origin;
•Lack of commitment to ongoing life support;
•Weight \< 35 kg;
•Severe chronic respiratory disease
•Morbid obesity - defined as \> 1 kg / cm body height;
•Neurological conditions with risk of intracranial hypertension (hypercapnia should be avoided);
•Neuromuscular disease that will result in prolonged need for mechanical ventilation;
•Previous enrolment in this trial;