Evaluating Health Outcomes and QOL After ALI Among Participants of the ALTA, OMEGA, EDEN, and SAILS ARDS Network Trials

Overview

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe lung condition that causes respiratory failure. The ARDS Network (ARDSNet) is a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored network that is focused on improving treatments for people with ALI and a similar condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This study will evaluate participants who were enrolled in one of three ARDSNet studies to examine how the treatments carried out in the prior studies affect participants' long-term health outcomes and quality of life.

ALI, a life-threatening condition that involves inflammation of the lungs and fluid accumulation in the air sacs, typically leads to low blood oxygen levels and respiratory failure. Common causes of ALI include pneumonia, sepsis, and lung trauma. Symptoms, including breathing difficulty, low blood pressure, and organ failure, usually develop within 24 to 48 hours of the original injury or illness. Most patients require immediate care in an intensive care unit (ICU), and the main form of treatment is mechanical ventilation, which delivers oxygen and a continuous level of pressure to the damaged lungs. The ARDS Network (ARDSNet) is a group of hospitals and medical centers that conduct research to improve treatment options for people with ARDS and ALI. This study will enroll people who participated in the ARDSNet's ALTA, OMEGA, EDEN, or SAILS study; these studies are investigating new treatments to improve survival and reduce the amount of time people remain on mechanical ventilation in the ICU after ALI. It is not known whether the ARDSNet's treatments have any prolonged benefit for patients after they leave the hospital. The purpose of this study is to evaluate participants' quality of life and long-term health outcomes after they receive the ALTA, OMEGA, EDEN, or SAILS study treatments. This study will enroll participants who were in the ALTA, OMEGA, EDEN, or SAILS study. ARDS Network trial participants from sites that approved this follow-up study will be contacted by phone at 6 and 12 months to complete a collection of surveys. These surveys assess quality of life, mental health, memory and cognition, physical functioning, fatigue, employment and health insurance status, and health care utilization. At the end of each follow-up, participants will be asked for feedback regarding their experience during the follow-up. For participants from a sub-set of ARDS Network study sites participating in this study, researchers will review participants' medical records and information collected during the ARDSNet studies. Six and 12 months after ALI, participants will attend study visits at which time walking ability, lung function, and muscle strength will be measured. Weight, dietary changes, and changes in muscle and fat composition will also be assessed. Participants will take part in interviews to evaluate memory and cognition. If participants cannot attend the study visits, research staff will either visit participants' homes to complete the evaluations or conduct some of the evaluations over the phone.