Safety and Efficacy Study of Inhaled Carbon Monoxide to Treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

NCT ID: NCT03799874

Last Updated: 2025-08-24

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Total Enrollment

32 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-07-01

Study Completion Date

2026-01-31

Brief Summary

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This study will be a multi-center, prospective, randomized, partially double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II clinical trial of inhaled CO (iCO) for the treatment of ARDS. The trial will be conducted at 7 tertiary care medical centers including Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Duke University Hospital, Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, and Duke Regional Hospital. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of inhaled carbon monoxide (iCO) for the treatment of ARDS and to examine the biologic readouts of low dose iCO therapy in patients with ARDS

Detailed Description

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Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating disease affecting military, veteran, and civilian populations. ARDS is a syndrome of severe acute lung inflammation and hypoxemic respiratory failure with an incidence of 180,000 cases annually in the United States. Despite recent advances in critical care management and lung protective ventilation strategies, ARDS morbidity and mortality remain unacceptably high. The lack of specific effective therapies for ARDS indicates a need for new treatments that target novel pathways. Carbon monoxide (CO) represents a novel therapeutic modality in ARDS based on data obtained in experimental models of ARDS over the past decade.

CO has been shown to be protective in experimental models of acute lung injury (ALI) and sepsis. Furthermore, multiple human studies have demonstrated that experimental administration of several different concentrations of CO is well tolerated and that low dose inhaled CO can be safely administered to subjects in a controlled research environment. The investigators have previously conducted a Phase I trial of low dose iCO in ARDS which demonstrated that precise administration of low dose iCO (100 and 200 ppm) is feasible, well-tolerated, and safe in patients with sepsis-induced ARDS.

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of low dose inhaled carbon monoxide (iCO) therapy in mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS.

Conditions

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Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Caregivers
The study drug will be blinded to the study staff using identical tanks containing either CO or placebo air. The administering respiratory therapist (RT) and a physician study staff member will be unblinded to the treatment assignments.

Study Groups

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Inhaled Carbon Monoxide

Inhaled Carbon Monoxide at 200 ppm for up to 90 minutes daily for 3 days.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Inhaled Carbon Monoxide at 200 ppm

Intervention Type DRUG

Inhaled Carbon Monoxide at 200 ppm for 90 minutes daily for 3 days.

Medical air

Inhaled Medical Air for up to 90 minutes daily for 3 days.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Inhaled Medical air

Intervention Type OTHER

Inhaled Medical Air for up to 90 minutes daily for 3 days.

Interventions

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Inhaled Carbon Monoxide at 200 ppm

Inhaled Carbon Monoxide at 200 ppm for 90 minutes daily for 3 days.

Intervention Type DRUG

Inhaled Medical air

Inhaled Medical Air for up to 90 minutes daily for 3 days.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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iCO

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

All intubated patients ≥ 18 years old with ARDS

1. ARDS is defined when all four of the following criteria are met:

1. A PaO2/FiO2 ratio ≤ 300 with at least 5 cm H2O positive end-expiratory airway pressure (PEEP)
2. Bilateral opacities on frontal chest radiograph (not fully explained by effusions, lobar/lung collapse, or nodules) within 1 week of a known clinical insult or new or worsening respiratory symptoms
3. A need for positive pressure ventilation by an endotracheal or tracheal tube
4. Respiratory failure not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload; need objective assessment (e.g., echocardiography) to exclude hydrostatic edema if no risk factor present.
2. ARDS onset is defined as the time the last of criteria 1-4 are met. ARDS must persist through the enrollment time window of 168 hours.

Exclusion Criteria

An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:

1. Age less than 18 years
2. Greater than 168 hours since ARDS onset
3. Pregnant or breastfeeding
4. Prisoner
5. Patient, surrogate, or physician not committed to full support (exception: a patient will not be excluded if he/she would receive all supportive care except for attempts at resuscitation from cardiac arrest)
6. No consent/inability to obtain consent or appropriate legal representative not available
7. Physician refusal to allow enrollment in the trial
8. Moribund patient not expected to survive 24 hours
9. No arterial or central line/no intent to place an arterial or central line
10. No intent/unwillingness to follow lung protective ventilation strategy
11. Severe hypoxemia defined as SpO2 \< 95 or PaO2 \< 90 on FiO2 ≥ 0.9
12. Hemoglobin \< 7.0 g/dL
13. Subjects who are Jehovah's Witnesses or are otherwise unable or unwilling to receive blood transfusions during hospitalization
14. Acute myocardial infarction (MI) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) within the last 90 days
15. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery within 30 days
16. Angina pectoris or use of nitrates with activities of daily living
17. Cardiopulmonary disease classified as NYHA class IV
18. Stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) within the prior 1 month, cardiac arrest requiring CPR within the prior 72 hours, or inability to assess mental status following cardiac arrest
19. Burns \> 40% total body surface area (TBSA)
20. Severe airway inhalational injury
21. Use of high frequency oscillatory ventilation
22. Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
23. Concomitant use of inhaled pulmonary vasodilator therapy (eg. nitric oxide \[NO\] or prostaglandins)
24. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage from vasculitis
25. Concurrent participation in other investigational drug study
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Massachusetts General Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Duke University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Durham VA Medical Center

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Duke Regional Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

Washington University School of Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Brigham and Women's Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Rebecca Baron

Associate Professor of Medicine

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Rebecca Baron, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Locations

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Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Washington University

St Louis, Missouri, United States

Site Status

New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Site Status

Weill Cornell Medical College

New York, New York, United States

Site Status

Duke Regional Hospital

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Site Status

Duke University Hospital

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Nakahira K, Kyung SY, Rogers AJ, Gazourian L, Youn S, Massaro AF, Quintana C, Osorio JC, Wang Z, Zhao Y, Lawler LA, Christie JD, Meyer NJ, Mc Causland FR, Waikar SS, Waxman AB, Chung RT, Bueno R, Rosas IO, Fredenburgh LE, Baron RM, Christiani DC, Hunninghake GM, Choi AM. Circulating mitochondrial DNA in patients in the ICU as a marker of mortality: derivation and validation. PLoS Med. 2013 Dec;10(12):e1001577; discussion e1001577. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001577. Epub 2013 Dec 31.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Brealey D, Brand M, Hargreaves I, Heales S, Land J, Smolenski R, Davies NA, Cooper CE, Singer M. Association between mitochondrial dysfunction and severity and outcome of septic shock. Lancet. 2002 Jul 20;360(9328):219-23. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09459-X.

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Jung SS, Moon JS, Xu JF, Ifedigbo E, Ryter SW, Choi AM, Nakahira K. Carbon monoxide negatively regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2015 May 15;308(10):L1058-67. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00400.2014. Epub 2015 Mar 13.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25770182 (View on PubMed)

Rhodes MA, Carraway MS, Piantadosi CA, Reynolds CM, Cherry AD, Wester TE, Natoli MJ, Massey EW, Moon RE, Suliman HB. Carbon monoxide, skeletal muscle oxidative stress, and mitochondrial biogenesis in humans. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2009 Jul;297(1):H392-9. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00164.2009. Epub 2009 May 22.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19465554 (View on PubMed)

Fredenburgh LE, Kraft BD, Hess DR, Harris RS, Wolf MA, Suliman HB, Roggli VL, Davies JD, Winkler T, Stenzler A, Baron RM, Thompson BT, Choi AM, Welty-Wolf KE, Piantadosi CA. Effects of inhaled CO administration on acute lung injury in baboons with pneumococcal pneumonia. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2015 Oct 15;309(8):L834-46. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00240.2015. Epub 2015 Aug 28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26320156 (View on PubMed)

Hausberg M, Somers VK. Neural circulatory responses to carbon monoxide in healthy humans. Hypertension. 1997 May;29(5):1114-8. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.29.5.1114.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9149675 (View on PubMed)

Mayr FB, Spiel A, Leitner J, Marsik C, Germann P, Ullrich R, Wagner O, Jilma B. Effects of carbon monoxide inhalation during experimental endotoxemia in humans. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005 Feb 15;171(4):354-60. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200404-446OC. Epub 2004 Nov 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15557136 (View on PubMed)

Peterson JE, Stewart RD. Predicting the carboxyhemoglobin levels resulting from carbon monoxide exposures. J Appl Physiol. 1975 Oct;39(4):633-8. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1975.39.4.633.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 1194155 (View on PubMed)

Stewart RD, Peterson JE, Baretta ED, Bachand RT, Hosko MJ, Herrmann AA. Experimental human exposure to carbon monoxide. Arch Environ Health. 1970 Aug;21(2):154-64. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1970.10667214. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 5430001 (View on PubMed)

Zevin S, Saunders S, Gourlay SG, Jacob P, Benowitz NL. Cardiovascular effects of carbon monoxide and cigarette smoking. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001 Nov 15;38(6):1633-8. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(01)01616-3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11704374 (View on PubMed)

Ren X, Dorrington KL, Robbins PA. Respiratory control in humans after 8 h of lowered arterial PO2, hemodilution, or carboxyhemoglobinemia. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2001 Apr;90(4):1189-95. doi: 10.1152/jappl.2001.90.4.1189.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11247913 (View on PubMed)

Pecorella SR, Potter JV, Cherry AD, Peacher DF, Welty-Wolf KE, Moon RE, Piantadosi CA, Suliman HB. The HO-1/CO system regulates mitochondrial-capillary density relationships in human skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2015 Oct 15;309(8):L857-71. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00104.2015. Epub 2015 Jul 17.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Fredenburgh LE, Perrella MA, Barragan-Bradford D, Hess DR, Peters E, Welty-Wolf KE, Kraft BD, Harris RS, Maurer R, Nakahira K, Oromendia C, Davies JD, Higuera A, Schiffer KT, Englert JA, Dieffenbach PB, Berlin DA, Lagambina S, Bouthot M, Sullivan AI, Nuccio PF, Kone MT, Malik MJ, Porras MAP, Finkelsztein E, Winkler T, Hurwitz S, Serhan CN, Piantadosi CA, Baron RM, Thompson BT, Choi AM. A phase I trial of low-dose inhaled carbon monoxide in sepsis-induced ARDS. JCI Insight. 2018 Dec 6;3(23):e124039. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.124039.

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Rosas IO, Goldberg HJ, Collard HR, El-Chemaly S, Flaherty K, Hunninghake GM, Lasky JA, Lederer DJ, Machado R, Martinez FJ, Maurer R, Teller D, Noth I, Peters E, Raghu G, Garcia JGN, Choi AMK. A Phase II Clinical Trial of Low-Dose Inhaled Carbon Monoxide in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Chest. 2018 Jan;153(1):94-104. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2017.09.052. Epub 2017 Oct 31.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Other Identifiers

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CDMRP-PR171025, W81XWH1810667

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

2018P002051

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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