CORONA (COvid pRONe hypoxemiA): Prone Positioning for Hypoxemic COVID-19 Patients With Do-not-intubate Goals (CORONA)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04402879 |
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified May 2020 by Ken Kuljit Parhar, MD, University of Calgary.
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
First Posted : May 27, 2020
Last Update Posted : December 17, 2020
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ARDS Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure | Procedure: Prone Positioning (PP) | Not Applicable |
As part of the management of COVID-19 related severe ARDS, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends prone positioned mechanical ventilation. At this time, it is unclear whether there is a role for prone positioning (PP) of non-mechanically ventilated patients.
The objective of this trial is to determine whether PP improves outcomes for non-intubated hospitalized patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19, who are not candidates for mechanical ventilation in the ICU. The investigators hypothesize that PP will reduce in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice, compared with usual care for non-intubated patients with do-not-intubate goals of care with hypoxemic respiratory failure due to probable COVID-19.
Patients randomized to the intervention arm will continue with prone positioning until study inclusion criteria are no longer met, discharge from hospital, day 60 in hospital, or until death or discharge to hospice. Daily assessments will occur until day 60 or until the patient is discharged from hospital or is deceased. The investigators anticipate recruitment to be completed within 12 months of starting the trial.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 596 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Intervention Model Description: | This is a prospective, unblinded, randomized controlled trial at four (4) medical sites in Calgary, Alberta. |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Prospective Randomized Trial of Prone Positioning Versus Usual Care for Patients With Do-not-intubate Goals of Care and Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure During the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Pandemic |
Actual Study Start Date : | November 10, 2020 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | December 1, 2021 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | June 1, 2022 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Prone Positioning (PP)
The intervention for this study is PP. Patients at participating sites allocated to the intervention arm of the study will be prompted by ward nurses and respiratory therapists to assume and maintain a prone position for varying durations, four times per day.
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Procedure: Prone Positioning (PP)
The intervention for this study is PP. Patients at participating sites allocated to the intervention arm of the study will be prompted by ward nurses and respiratory therapists to assume and maintain a prone position for varying durations, four times per day until the occurrence of a primary outcome event or hospital discharge. The target duration (dose) of PP is > 8 hours per day for up to 60 days, or until oxygen requirements are < 2 L per minute or < 2 L per minute above baseline home oxygen requirements. |
No Intervention: Control - usual management
The control group will consist of standard medical care with no instructions or prompts to change positioning to staff or patients.
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- Hospital mortality or discharge to hospice [ Time Frame: 60 days ]In-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice at Day 60.
- Adverse Events and Serious Adverse Events [ Time Frame: 60 days ]
An Adverse Event (AE) is any unfavourable or other finding (including clinically significant laboratory tests), symptom or disease occurring during the during of the study, whether or not it is considered to be related to the medicinal (investigational) product, not explicitly classified elsewhere in this protocol, and whether or not it is expected. A Serious Adverse Event (AE) is any unfavourable medical finding (including clinically significant laboratory tests) at any dose that:
- Results in death (primary outcome)
- Is life threatening
- Results in persistent of significant disability or incapacity
- Requires in in-patient hospitalisation or prolongation of Hospitalisation
- Change in SpO2 [ Time Frame: 60 days ]Change in SpO2 during each PP session (SpO2 in prone position - SpO2 prior to prone positioning). Clinicians will be asked to record this change for the first proning session per shift (for 12 hour shifts this will result in 2 proning sessions being documented per 24 hour period, and for 8 hour shifts this will result in 3 proning sessions being documented per 24 hour period).
- Hospital free days [ Time Frame: 60 days ]Number of hospital free days in the 60 days after enrolment.
- Admission to ICU [ Time Frame: 60 days ]Admission to the Intensive Care Unit.
- Intubation and mechanical ventilation [ Time Frame: 60 days ]Patient is intubated and requires mechanical ventilation.
- Initiation of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO). [ Time Frame: 60 days ]Patient requires non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO).
- Oxygen-free days [ Time Frame: 60 days ]The number of oxygen-free days at Day 60 (censored at discharge).
- In-hospital death (time) [ Time Frame: 60 days ]Time from admission to all-cause in-hospital death.
- Death at 90 days [ Time Frame: 90 days ]Death at 90 days.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Hospitalized patients with probable COVID-19. Probable is defined as Influenza like illness (ILI) symptoms OR confirmed COVID-19 exposure AND COVID-19 testing performed. ILI is defined as any one of the following symptoms including: fever, new or worsening cough, coryza, new or worsening dyspnea, or sore throat.
- Goals of care are do-not-intubate (R3 or M1/M2 in Alberta).
- Need for oxygen ≥2 L to maintain SpO2 ≥92%. If the patient is on long-term oxygen, the O2 requirements must be ≥2 L above their baseline.
- Patient can be positioned to and from prone to supine with minimal assistance (maximum one person assistance).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Decreased level of consciousness (Glasgow Coma Scale < 10) or precluding ability to self-reposition.
- Hemodynamic instability (Systolic Blood Pressure < 90 mmHg and or Lactate >5 mmol/L or HR >120, not responsive to fluid resuscitation).
- Complete bowel obstruction.
- Active upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Poor neck mobility or patient inability to lie prone comfortably.
- Unstable spine, femur, or pelvic fractures.
- Pregnancy - third trimester.
- Full resuscitation status including ICU and willingness to accept invasive mechanical ventilation (i.e. R1/R2 goals of care).
- Imminent palliation or end of life expected on admission (i.e. C1/C2 goals of care).

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT04402879
Contact: Ken Parhar, MD, MSc | 403-944-0735 | ken.parhar@ahs.ca | |
Contact: Jason Weatherald, MD | 403-943-4779 | jcweathe@ucalgary.ca |
Canada, Alberta | |
Peter Lougheed Centre (PLC) | Recruiting |
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T1Y 6J4 | |
Contact: Jason Weatherald, MD | |
Foothills Hospital Intensive Care Unit | Recruiting |
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 2T9 | |
Contact: Ken Parhar, MD, MSc | |
Rockyview General Hospital | Not yet recruiting |
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2V 1P9 | |
Contact: Kevin Solverson, MD | |
South Health Campus | Not yet recruiting |
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T3M 1M4 | |
Contact: Henry T Stelfox, MD PhD |
Principal Investigator: | Ken Parhar, MD, MSc | University of Calgary | |
Principal Investigator: | Jason Weatherald, MD | University of Calgary |
Responsible Party: | Ken Kuljit Parhar, MD, Consultant Intensivist & Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Calgary |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT04402879 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
REB20-0518 |
First Posted: | May 27, 2020 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | December 17, 2020 |
Last Verified: | May 2020 |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Prone positioning non-intubated |
COVID-19 Coronavirus Infections Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Respiratory Distress Syndrome Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn Respiratory Insufficiency Acute Lung Injury Syndrome Disease Pathologic Processes Pneumonia, Viral Pneumonia |
Respiratory Tract Infections Infections Virus Diseases Coronaviridae Infections Nidovirales Infections RNA Virus Infections Lung Diseases Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiration Disorders Infant, Premature, Diseases Infant, Newborn, Diseases Lung Injury |