Testing a scoring system to decide when to remove breathing tubes in brain-injured patients

Plain-English translation of NCT04080440 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated September 2025 · Translation generated July 2026 · How we translate trials

This study doesn't follow the usual testing phases — it may be an observational study or a different type of research.

What is this trial?

When patients with severe brain injuries need breathing machines in the hospital, doctors eventually need to decide when it's safe to remove the breathing tube. This trial is testing whether using a specific clinical scoring system — which checks for things like whether you can swallow, cough, or gag — can help doctors make better decisions about when to remove the tube safely. The goal is to prevent breathing tube removal from failing, which can be dangerous for brain-injured patients.

Brain-injured patients often fail when doctors try to remove their breathing tubes because their brain injury affects their ability to protect their airway. Current guidelines don't give clear guidance for these patients, so doctors need a better tool to predict which patients are truly ready. This trial tests whether the new scoring system can predict success and help doctors remove tubes at just the right time.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you have had a severe acute brain injury (such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, or cardiac arrest-related brain injury) that required admission to an intensive care unit
you have been on a breathing machine through a breathing tube for more than 48 hours
you are between 18 and 75 years old
you have passed a spontaneous breathing trial (a test showing you can breathe on your own briefly)
you are neurologically stable without signs of increased pressure in your brain
this is your first attempt at being weaned off the breathing machine

You likely don't qualify if…

you have a brain injury in the back of your brain
you are currently having uncontrolled seizures or untreated brain infections
you have a spinal cord injury causing paralysis
you have chronic lung disease requiring oxygen or breathing support at home
you have had more than 3 failed attempts to breathe on your own

What participation looks like

If you are assigned to the study group using the new scoring system, doctors will perform the simple clinical checks (testing your ability to swallow, cough, and gag, and checking your brain responsiveness) before deciding whether to remove your breathing tube. If you are in the usual care group, your doctors will make this decision using their standard hospital protocol. The study involves no additional visits or procedures beyond what normally happens — researchers will simply track whether your breathing tube removal was successful and compare outcomes between the two groups.

AI-generated summary from trial data · Jul 19, 2026 · Not medical advice

Trial locations(21 sites)

France

CHU, Angers

CHU, Bordeaux

CH, Bourg-en-Bresse

CHU, Caen