The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on functional outcome in patients with acute stroke, the investigators conducted a sham-controlled, double-blind pilot trial during inpatient rehabilitation. Patients with acute stroke were recruited and randomly assigned to auto-titrating or sham-CPAP during their rehabilitation stay.
All acute stroke patients admitted to the inpatient rehabilitation service at the University of Washington were invited to participate in the study. Given the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in this population, no screen for OSA was performed. Enrolled patients were assigned randomly to active-CPAP with auto-titrating pressures or to sham-CPAP with an otherwise identical device but with pressures ≤ 1 cm water. Subjects used active or sham-CPAP for the duration of inpatient rehabilitation, but no longer than 28 days. CPAP compliance was assessed by memory card that recorded mask-on time. Other information on download, such as apnea-hypopnea index, was only available on active-CPAP and not assessed by investigators in real time. In this study, the investigators defined tolerance as any continued use of CPAP at night and adherence as mean hours of CPAP use per night in those who were CPAP tolerant.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
40
Auto-titrating CPAP was initiated after admission to the inpatient rehabilitation unit for the duration of rehabilitation but not exceeding 28 days. A respiratory therapist visited patients nightly to document adherence and address issues arising at night. A sleep technologist also met with patients at least twice weekly to monitor safety and adverse events and make any adjustments to the CPAP mask or machine. Efforts to improve adherence to CPAP for patients treated with active-CPAP included patient education, desensitization of CPAP through brief periods of daytime use, adjustments of humidity and mask (including addition of a chin strap), decreasing CPAP maximum pressure and use of expiratory pressure relief (CFlex) for patients treated with active-CPAP.
Sham-CPAP was initiated after admission to the inpatient rehabilitation unit for the duration of rehabilitation but not exceeding 28 days. A respiratory therapist visited patients nightly to document adherence and address issues arising at night. A sleep technologist also met with patients at least twice weekly to monitor safety and adverse events and make any adjustments to the CPAP mask or machine. Efforts to improve adherence to CPAP for patients treated with sham-CPAP included patient education, desensitization of CPAP through brief periods of daytime use and adjustments of humidity and mask, including addition of a chin strap.
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, United States
Feasibility of Enrolling Eligible Stroke Patients Admitted to Inpatient Rehabilitation for an Acute Ischemic or Hemorrhagic Stroke Into a Pilot, Randomized Clinical Trial of Active Versus Sham CPAP.
Number of stroke patients willing to participate during inpatient rehabilitation over 18 months and be randomized in this clinical trial to treatment with active or sham auto-titrating CPAP.
Time frame: 18 months
Hours of CPAP Per Night
Mean hours of nightly CPAP use, regardless of treatment allocation, at hospital discharge.
Time frame: up to 28 days
Median Change in the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) Between Admission and Discharge From the Rehabilitation Unit Comparing Active-CPAP Versus Sham-CPAP.
The Functional Independence Measure (FIM), a sensitive disability scale, is an 18-item instrument measuring the burden of care associated with aspects of motor and cognitive function. Higher scores represent better stroke recovery where scores for each of the 18 items range from 1 (complete dependence) to 7 (complete independence). The overall FIM score ranges between 18 and 126. The FIM score can also be further broken down based on its motor and cognitive components. The 13 items of the motor FIM subscale range between 13 and 91, whereas the 5 items of the cognitive FIM subscale can range between 5 and 35. The motor and cognitive sub scales are summed to provide the total FIM score and the difference between the FIM scores on admission to the rehabilitation unit and discharge from the unit were calculated for each eligible participant.
Time frame: Baseline and discharge up to 28 days
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