The Peninsular Medical Foundation is supporting a sub-study of the NIHR funded DAYDREAM study, led by Dr Jessie Welbourne from the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, and Prof Dan Martin from the University of Plymouth. The trial will recruit patients in Plymouth and Southampton between November 2024 and 2025.
DAYDREAM is a feasibility randomised controlled trial, of administering daytime only enteral feeding compared to standard continuous enteral feeding, to reduce delirium in mechanically ventilated, critically ill adults. The trial enrols critically ill patients, who are expected to be on a ventilator for at least 48hours and compares the rates of delirium in those who have received feed over 24 hours (as is standard practice), against patients who have their feed delivered over 14 hours within the daytime. It is thought that feeding in the day and not overnight will help maintain a normal circadian rhythm. We propose that a more normal circadian rhythm will help prevent delirium, which is known to lead to long term psychological problems in critical illness survivors. To help assess the circadian rhythm in the study patients, we will measure the cyclic expression of genetic markers, which is funded by the PMF.
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