The Utility of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine in Weaning Patients from the Ventilator Pilot Trial

The objectives of this research are to determine the treatment effect size of OMM to wean patients off of the ventilator, determine the number of patients needed for a larger study (power), determine the willingness of patients/POAs to be recruited, identify the correct dosing of OMM and whether there are concerns for the safety of treatment, and determine whether the hypothesis is feasible for a larger study. The primary outcome measure is the duration of time until a subject is weaned off of mechanical ventilation using Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM). The secondary outcome measures (see the next section for further explanation) are to determine if OMM affects changes in morbidity and mortality, such as VBG/ABG, NIF, RSBI, P 0.1, FiO2, PEEP, mental status, hemodynamic stability (blood pressure), spontaneous TV, reintubation after extubation, and death.