Effect of Head and Neck Positioning on Lung Sliding in Healthy Volunteers

NCT07351201 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: AEŞH-EK-2025-305
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 31
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical study is to learn how different head-of-bed positions affect lung movement during breathing in healthy adults. Researchers want to understand whether raising the head of the bed changes how the lungs move, which may help guide patient positioning in emergency and intensive care settings. The main questions this study aims to answer are: Does lung movement change when the head of the bed is positioned at zero, twenty, or forty degrees? Are there differences in lung movement between the right and left lungs? Are there differences between the upper (apical) and lower (basal) parts of the lungs? Participants will be healthy adult volunteers between eighteen and sixty years of age. Each participant will lie on a bed in three different positions: flat, with the head raised to twenty degrees, and with the head raised to forty degrees. During each position, researchers will use bedside lung ultrasound, a painless and non-invasive imaging method, to measure lung movement at four areas of the chest. No medications, injections, or invasive procedures will be used. This study may help health care providers better understand how body position affects breathing and support safer and more effective positioning of patients with breathing problems.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Ultrasonography; Lung; Pleura; Respiratory Mechanics; Patient Positioning

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Lung Sliding Amplitude Across Different Head-of-Bed Positions

  Lung sliding amplitude will be quantitatively measured using bedside lung ultrasonography in healthy adult participants. Measurements will be obtained at four predefined anatomical regions (right apical, right basal, left apical, and left basal lung areas) while participants are positioned sequentially at three head-of-bed angles: zero degrees, twenty degrees, and forty degrees. Lung sliding amplitude will be assessed using M-mode imaging by measuring pleural line displacement in millimeters. Mean values for each position will be calculated and compared to evaluate the effect of head-of-bed elevation on lung sliding movement.

  Periprocedural (during a single study visit)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Difference in Lung Sliding Amplitude Between Right and Left Lungs

  Periprocedural (during a single study visit)

Study Arms (1)

Head-of-Bed Position Assessment (0°, 20°, 40°)

OTHER

Participants in this single-arm study will undergo lung ultrasound assessments during a single study visit. Each participant will be positioned sequentially at three different head-of-bed angles: zero degrees (supine), twenty degrees, and forty degrees. At each position, lung sliding movement will be evaluated using bedside lung ultrasonography with a high-frequency linear probe. Measurements will be obtained from four predefined anatomical regions: right apical, right basal, left apical, and left basal lung areas. Lung sliding will be quantitatively assessed using M-mode imaging by measuring pleural line displacement.

Procedure: Head-of-Bed Elevation

Interventions

Head-of-Bed Elevation PROCEDURE

Controlled positioning of the participant with the head of the bed at zero, twenty, and forty degrees. At each position, lung sliding movement will be assessed using bedside lung ultrasound with a high-frequency linear probe.

Head-of-Bed Position Assessment (0°, 20°, 40°)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy adult volunteers aged eighteen to sixty years.
• No history of acute or chronic respiratory disease.
• Body mass index between eighteen point five and twenty-nine point nine kilograms per square meter.
• Ability to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent.
• No skin lesions or wounds at the chest wall that would interfere with lung ultrasound examination.

You may not qualify if:

• History of respiratory system diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, or tuberculosis.
• Presence of chest wall deformities (such as kyphoscoliosis or pectus deformities) or history of thoracic surgery.
• Inability to tolerate position changes during the study, including development of dizziness, syncope, or shortness of breath.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Known significant cardiac, neurological, or metabolic disease.
• Known allergy to ultrasound gel or latex.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ankara Etlik City Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Ankara Etlik City Hospital

Ankara, Yenimahalle, 06170, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Briganti DN, Choi CE, Nguyen J, Lanks CW. Determinants of point-of-care ultrasound lung sliding amplitude in mechanically ventilated patients. Ultrasound J. 2023 May 23;15(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s13089-023-00326-5.

  PMID: 37219721 BACKGROUND

• Sirin I, Erdem AB, Uysal SB, Gedikaslan S. The Effect of Tidal Volumes of Mechanically Ventilated Patients on Lung Sliding Amplitude in Point-Of-Care Lung Ultrasound. J Clin Ultrasound. 2025 Jun;53(5):989-996. doi: 10.1002/jcu.23968. Epub 2025 Mar 17.

  PMID: 40098375 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• İLKER ŞİRİN

  Ankara Etlik City Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Specialist Physician

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 10, 2026
• First Posted: January 20, 2026
• Study Start: January 20, 2026
• Primary Completion: February 20, 2026
• Study Completion: February 20, 2026
• Last Updated: March 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)