Welcome to the
inDEX Research Program

What is inDEX?

Acute respiratory failure is a common reason for admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Canada. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIV) can be a life-saving intervention for selected patients with acute respiratory failure. However, NIV failure can occur due to patient NIV intolerance, which may result in need for intubation and greater mortality. 

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Currently, there are no recommended pharmacologic practices to reduce NIV failure due to agitation, delirium and intolerance.  Thus, inDEX (Non-invasive ventilation and dexmedetomidine in critically ill adults) aims to provide further understanding on the usage of sedative, specifically dexmedetomidine, to reduce NIV failure in hospitalized adults with acute respiratory failure and agitation or NIV intolerance.

Research Program