BURN-ASV Trial: Adaptive Support Ventilation in Severe Burn Injury

Severe burn injury is frequently complicated by respiratory failure resulting from inhalation injury, systemic inflammation, pulmonary edema, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and prolonged critical illness. Mechanical ventilation is often required for extended periods and is associated with substantial morbidity, including ventilator-associated pneumonia, ventilator-induced lung injury, prolonged sedation exposure, and increased intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay.

Modern military conflicts have introduced new mechanisms of burn injury, including drone-delivered munitions and thermobaric explosive devices. These injuries are often characterized by a combination of thermal injury, blast overpressure, airway damage, inhalation injury, and severe pulmonary dysfunction. As a result, optimization of ventilatory support has become an important component of burn critical care.

Adaptive Support Ventilation (ASV) is a closed-loop mode of mechanical ventilation that automatically adjusts respiratory rate, tidal volume, inspiratory pressure, and minute ventilation according to patient respiratory mechanics and predicted physiologic requirements. Previous studies in mixed ICU populations have suggested that ASV may improve patient-ventilator synchrony, reduce work of breathing, facilitate weaning, and decrease the duration of mechanical ventilation. However, evidence regarding its use in severe burn patients remains limited.

The BURN-ASV Trial is a prospective randomized controlled study designed to compare Adaptive Support Ventilation with conventional lung-protective mechanical ventilation in critically ill adult burn patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either ASV or conventional ventilation according to institutional standards of care. Randomization will be stratified by burn severity, inhalation injury, thermobaric injury, and the presence of ARDS.

The primary objective is to determine whether ASV increases ventilator-free days during the first 28 days following randomization. Secondary objectives include evaluation of mechanical ventilation duration, ventilator-associated complications, oxygenation, ventilator mechanics, sedation and opioid requirements, ICU and hospital length of stay, and mortality.

The results of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of automated ventilation strategies in patients with severe burn injuries and may contribute to future recommendations for respiratory support in both civilian and military burn intensive care settings.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years or older.
• Thermal burn injury involving ≥20% total body surface area (TBSA).
• Requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation expected to exceed 24 hours.
• Admission to a participating intensive care unit within 48 hours of injury.
• Burn injury resulting from conventional flame burns, explosion-related burns, drone-related burns, or thermobaric blast burns.
• Written informed consent provided by the patient or a legally authorized representative.

Exclusion criteria

• Age younger than 18 years.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Pre-existing chronic respiratory failure requiring home oxygen therapy or long-term mechanical ventilation.
• Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD GOLD IV) or other end-stage pulmonary disease.
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) at the time of enrollment.
• Severe traumatic brain injury requiring controlled hyperventilation.
• Expected death within 24 hours of ICU admission.
• Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order or limitations of life-sustaining treatment.
• Previous enrollment in the current study.
• Participation in another interventional trial that may interfere with study outcomes.