Réa-MiniMax: Severe Acute Respiratory Failure in Hematology and Cancer Patients Without Bronchoalveolar Lavage
Réa-MiniMax: Severe Acute Respiratory Failure in Hematology and Cancer Patients Without Bronchoalveolar Lavage
The MiniMax® study is a multicenter randomized controlled study aimed at demonstrating that a
 combination of non-invasive diagnostic tools are as effective as fiberoptic bronchoscopy and
 bronchoalveolar lavage (FO-BAL) in performing the etiological diagnosis of acute respiratory
 failure in cancer patients.
Acute respiratory failure is a dreadful complication in cancer patients. Indeed, about 20% of
 the patients will present with pulmonary infiltrates, but Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission
 and mechanical ventilation will be needed in half of them resulting in mortality for most of
 the patients. Managing cancer patients with respiratory failure implicates three mandatory
 tasks: 1) early antibiotics administration covering suspected pathogens; 2) search for the
 actual aetiology; and 3) adequate supportive care with access to invasive or non invasive
 respiratory support. Performing the etiological diagnosis is crucial. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy
 and bronchoalveolar lavage (FO-BAL) remains the cornerstone of the management of pulmonary
 infiltrates in cancer patients. However, non-invasive diagnostic tools have been validated in
 the recent years. Diagnostic and therapeutic impacts of FO-BAL are only of 30% to 60% and 15%
 to 60% respectively. In neutropenic patients and recipients of bone marrow or stem cell
 transplantation, this impact is significantly altered. Moreover, reports have highlighted
 significant rates of complications such as haemorrhage (5%), respiratory deterioration (11%
 to 40%), possibly heading to intubation and subsequent death. Therefore, balancing advantages
 to risks of FO-BAL is in order. The MiniMax® study is a multicenter randomized controlled
 study aimed at demonstrating that a combination of non-invasive diagnostic tools are as
 effective as FO-BAL in performing the etiological diagnosis of acute respiratory failure in
 cancer patients. In addition, these non-invasive tests might not lead to deterioration of the
 respiratory status and corresponding requirement to intubation and mechanical ventilation.
 The group of investigators is used to manage cancer patients with pulmonary involvement. In
 the 21 centres, patients will be randomized to be managed either with FO-BAL or with only
 non-invasive tools. In each case, patients will be managed with the best supportive care
 including adequate antibiotics, respiratory support and all needed life sustaining therapies.
 Our hypothesis is to reduce intubation rate using a non-invasive approach (without FO-LBA).
 Surrogate markers will be hospital mortality and the number of diagnostic procedures in each
 group of patients.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients with a malignant haemopathy or a cancer

 -  Patients with severe acute respiratory failure requiring admission to an ICU

 -  No argument for a congestive cardiac insufficiency (heart failure)

 -  Patients who provided their informed consent

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Age less than 18

 -  Patient who refuses to undergo fiberoptic bronchoscopy

 -  Therapeutic limitation

 -  Patients intubated at ICU admission

 -  Etiological diagnosis of the acute respiratory failure known

 -  Lack of available bronchoscopy

 -  AIDS

 -  Post-operative direct admission

 -  Inclusion in another research protocol in the ICU (HURRIET law)