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NCT Number: NCT07607977

Exploring Biomarkers in the Heat and Moisture Exchange Filters

When patients undergo major surgery, they are connected to a ventilator during anesthesia. A heat and moisture exchange filter (HME filter) is routinely placed in the ventilator tubing to ensure that the inhaled air is warm and humidified. Today, HME filters are used routinely in all ventilator treatments. They are typically replaced once a day and discarded as regular waste after use.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether HME filters contain proteins and small biological particles from the patient's exhaled air.

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Key information

Conditions

Respiratory Inflammation

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Aalborg University Hospital

Gistrup, 9260, Denmark

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Bodil S Rasmussen, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Javier A Quezada, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Lise T Elkjær

CONTACT

[email protected]

+45 20 84 08 32

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • ≥18 years, able to understand study information in Danish.
  • Admitted for elective surgery for non-malignant conditions with either intravenous or inhalation anaesthesia and invasive mechanical ventilation according to standard practice.
  • Expected invasive mechanical ventilation > 1 hour.
  • Possess legal capacity.
  • Informed, signed consent is obtained.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients who are transferred to the ICU for continuous invasive mechanical ventilation after end of elective surgery.
  • Known chronic lung disease.

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Total endogenous protein amount captured in HME filters measured by standard biochemical assays.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 months.

    Quantification of the total amount of endogenous proteins recovered from heat moisture exchange (HME) filters using Biuret based analysis.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Protein molecular weight and isoelectric point distribution in proteins captured by HME filters.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 months.

    Distribution and representation of captured proteins according to molecular weight and isoelectric point characteristics determined by proteomic analysis.

Other outcomes

  1. Between-subject variation in exhaled breath protein concentration measured by proteomic analysis.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 months.

    Variation in protein concentration across HME filter samples collected from different participants, measured using protein quantification methods.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Inger L Gade, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+45 20843941

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Aalborg University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Acronym: HMEPRO

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
May 27, 2026
Registry last updated
May 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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