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NCT Number: NCT07284056

Prevention and Treatment of Early Postoperative Atelectasis Using The MetaNeb System in Patients Underwent Esophagectomy

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether the MetaNeb® System can effectively prevent and treat early postoperative atelectasis in adult patients admitted to ICU after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

The main question it aims to answer is: can the MetaNeb® system significantly reduce the lung ultrasound score (LUSS) indicating atelectasis on postoperative days 1 and 2? Participants will be randomly assigned to either the standard treatment or MetaNeb group, undergo lung ultrasound and electrical impedance tomography (EIT) assessments on postoperative days 1 and 2, receive at least 4 sessions of MetaNeb therapy on postoperative day 1 if in the intervention group, be monitored for oxygenation indices, ICU stay duration, incidence of mechanical ventilation, need for bronchoscopic intervention, and adverse events like pneumothorax.

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Key information

Conditions

Atelectases, Postoperative Pulmonary Lung Diseases Pulmonary Atelectasis Respiratory Tract Diseases

Age range

18 year–85 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 18 and 85 years.
  • Patients who are scheduled for ICU admission after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Exclusion criteria

  • Presence of an artificial airway at the time of ICU admission.
  • Planned ICU stay less than 24 hours.
  • Patients with contraindications to the use of the MetaNeb® System, or those unable to cooperate due to organic or psychiatric conditions.

Treatment and study plan

MetaNeb Therapy

Device

Patients in the MetaNeb group receive at least 4 sessions of MetaNeb therapy on postoperative day 1 (each session includes cycles of CPEP and CHFO modes totaling 10 minutes).

Standard of Care

Behavioral

Standard postoperative care, including guidance on coughing and expectoration, turning and back percussion, and early mobilization (getting out of bed for physical activity).

Primary outcomes

  1. The difference of lung ultrasound scores (LUSS) indicating atelectasis on postoperative day 1 and 2

    Time frame: From postoperative day 1 to day 2

Secondary outcomes

  1. The difference of dorsal ventilation region assessed by electrical impedance tomography (EIT) on postoperative day 1 and 2

    Time frame: From postoperative day 1 to day 2

  2. The difference of PaO2/FiO2 ratios on postoperative day 1 and 2

    Time frame: From postoperative day 1 to day 2

  3. The number of cases that underwent bronchoscopy intervention during ICU stay

    Time frame: From admission to ICU discharge

  4. The number of cases that underwent high flow oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation

    Time frame: From admission to ICU discharge

  5. Length of ICU stay

    Time frame: From admission to ICU discharge

  6. The number of cases that develop pneumothorax during intervention

    Time frame: From admission to the end of intervention at postoperative day 2

Study contacts

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

Minhui Dong

CONTACT

[email protected]

+86 02164041990 ext. 692959

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Dec 16, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 16, 2025

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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