Information for patients & public
"If this works it would be such a game changer-I really want to help to get this off the ground especially as I thing if anyone goes through what my husband did, even small improvements would be so so important-Thank you for thinking of us."
King's Critical Care Pathfinder-Past Patient Relative
What is UK NAVA?
Half of all patients who are admitted to intensive care have to be placed on a breathing machine called a ventilator. This provides support for breathing through a plastic tube in the windpipe. We know that being on a breathing machine is uncomfortable; requires the use of sedation; and leads to muscle wasting and damage to lungs. It is often associated with a period of confusion for patients, commonly referred to as 'delirium'.
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Sometimes it can be difficult to get patients off ventilators, either because of their current illness or because they have underlying health problems.
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The UK NAVA trial is testing a new piece of technology that better highlights to nurses and doctors what a patient is trying to do on their own and potentially improves the comfort and quality of support breaths.
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We are doing a research study across 40 intensive care units to compare 'usual care' with the newer technology which is called 'NAVA'. We hope that the combination of the improved monitoring of patient's breathing and more comfortable ventilation support (with the breathing machine) will allow us to get patients off ventilators quicker. We won't know if this is the case without doing a trial.
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If we find that NAVA helps patients get off ventilators quicker then it may both save lives and money. It may also mean that patients recover quicker after being in intensive care because they might have had less sedation, develoip less muscle wastage and have better psychological recoveries.
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A good summary would be to say that we are trying to find out if NAVA will save lives but also help return people to their lives.
"This is such important work - thank you for involving patients and their loved ones in this amazing project."
King's Critical Care Pathfinder Past Patient
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Patients who go to intensive care come from all ethnic and social backgrounds. They include patients who have mental or physical disabilities. It is very important that we ensure that all these groups are represented in both the team who are doing the trial and in the patients/families who participate in the trial.
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UK NAVA is being lead by King's College Hospital in South East London, which is at the heart of a very diverse community. Equality, diversity and inclusion is particularly important to the team behind UK NAVA.
"I actually understand this kit...how it works... and why it might be so good"
King's Critical Care Pathfinder Group past patient.
"Being dependent on a machine to do something like your breathing is like having your life controlled by someone else. You literally disappear."
King's Critical Care Pathfinder Group past patient.
