Dr. Brian Harbrecht

Hiram C. Polk Jr., M.D Chair in Surgery Professor & Director, Trauma Surgery

Director, Trauma Research Laboratory

Areas of Interest:

Hernia Surgery, Gallbladder Disease, General Surgery, Trauma Surgery and Critical Care

Dr. Brian Harbrecht of the University of Louisville Department of Surgery and Dr. Ray Orthober of the Department of Emergency Medicine are local investigators in a multi-institutional study involving nearly two dozen emergency medical service (EMS) agencies across the country in a Department of Defense (DOD)-funded clinical trial aimed at (improving survival among) determining the optimal method for placing a breathing tube (intubating) people who have difficulty breathing after (a trauma) an accident.

The Prehospital Airway Control Trial (PACT) is an $8.8 million, four-year study, beginning at the end of 2019 that will (test) compare two common (different strategies) methods to help patients breathe at the scene of (a trauma) an injury, to see if one works better than another (at increasing survival). Paramedics routinely use both methods now to place breathing tubes at the scene of an injury and most patients who need an emergency breathing tube are too sick to give permission.  Both methods can be life-saving but no one has evaluated whether one method is better than the other. (It) The study is an “exception from informed consent” trial, meaning that, since the trial requires performing a potentially life-saving procedure in people who are (too injured) unable to give permission, patients (who need help breathing) will not be able to provide permission to be enrolled. Patients or their families will be asked for (their) permission for further participation once they or their family members are able to (consent) give consent. Once patients are stable, (they’ll) they will be notified that they were enrolled and can opt out of continued participation at that point. People can visit www.litesnetwork.org/PACT for more information.