Stroke and CPAP Outcome Study 3 Randomized Controlled Trial (SCOUTS3)

Optimizing Adherence to the Treatment of Sleep Apnea Among Patients With Stroke Undergoing Inpatient Rehabilitation

The SCOUTS 3 study aims to test the effectiveness of an intensive CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy support program compared to usual care in stroke patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during inpatient rehabilitation (IPR).

The study is a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving recruitment of about 250 participants across two institutions and randomization of about 200 participants. It compares an intensive support (IS) program for CPAP use with standard support (SS) to evaluate the effectiveness of the IS intervention in increasing CPAP usage during and after stroke rehabilitation. The Intensive Support (IS) group will receive a multicomponent intensive behavioral adherence program, which includes a CPAP technical support intervention, Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), and a Mobile Health intervention. Outcomes measured include CPAP adherence as measured by average nightly use in minutes between randomization and 3 months and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS-9Q) to evaluate stroke recovery.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: CPAP; Stroke Patients; OSA - Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: CPAP device; Behavioral: CPAP technical support; Behavioral: Phone follow-up for adherence feedback and self-management skills; Behavioral: myAir; Behavioral: Tailored messages; Behavioral: Written Materials; Behavioral: Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)

Detailed Description

Within an investigator-initiated, phase 2 multicenter randomized controlled trial, we will test the effect of the multicomponent behavioral adherence intervention on 3-months of CPAP use among stroke patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy initiated during inpatient rehabilitation (IPR). The study will be conducted at 2 IPR centers, University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, WA., and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (RLANRC) in Los Angeles, CA. Over a ~3-year period, adult patients recovering from acute stroke within the past 30 days will be recruited upon IPR admission to these centers and tested for OSA through a simple, portable cardiorespiratory study with automated software. Eligible participants with OSA will be randomized to CPAP plus: either the adapted adherence intervention or control. All randomized subjects will be treated with auto-titrating CPAP or aCPAP. CPAP use will be measured electronically. Both groups will continue CPAP for a 3-month treatment period. We anticipate enrolling approximately 250 participants over the ~3 years of recruitment to randomize 200 eligible participants. The primary endpoint will be the average nightly minutes of CPAP use over the 90-day period, objectively measured, and the secondary outcome will be the Modified Rankin Scale-9 questions assessed at 3 months by phone.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 250
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Morgan Aurelio, DNP, MPH, ARNP-CNM; Phone Number: 206-543-7589; Email: mca1@uw.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Downey, California, United States, 90242
      • Recruiting
      • Rancho Research Institute
      • Contact: Jason Garcia; Phone Number: 562-385-6939
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98104
      • Recruiting
      • University of Washington - Harborview Medical Center
      • Contact: Morgan Aurelio, DNP, MPH, ARNP-CNM; Phone Number: 206-543-7589; Email: mca1@uw.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion criteria include:

1. Age 18 years or older
2. Head CT or brain MRI demonstrating an acute ischemic infarction or intraparenchymal hemorrhage within past 30 days
3. Person providing consent (patient or legally authorized representative (LAR)) able to be consented in English or Spanish.

Exclusion criteria include:

1. Unable to obtain informed consent from participant or LAR in English or Spanish
2. Incarcerated
3. Known pregnancy-determined by reviewing clinical data
4. Current mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, or supplemental oxygen use > 4L/min
5. Use of positive airway pressure within 14 days prior to stroke
6. History of pneumothorax, bullous emphysema or other serious co-morbid conditions which limit CPAP use
7. Stroke related to tumors, vascular malformations or subarachnoid hemorrhage
8. Active use of sedative drugs that can interfere with testing for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) including any benzodiazepine, barbiturate, general anesthesia, or conscious sedation within the prior 48 hours of the planned portable sleep apnea study
9. Anticipated inpatient rehabilitation length of stay < 5 nights
10. Co-morbid conditions that limit OSA testing or CPAP use in the judgement of the study team
11. Recent cranial or spinal surgery with known or possible CSF leak or pneumocephalus within past 3 months
12. Patients at significant risk of aspiration that could render the patient at risk of harm from use of CPAP, in the opinion of the site PI.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intensive Support; The Intensive Support (IS) group will receive the multicomponent intensive behavioral adherence program, which includes a CPAP technical support intervention, Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), and a Mobile Health intervention. Participants assigned to the IS group will also receive the 3 basic supportive treatments, including OSA and CPAP education, respiratory therapy and nursing support during inpatient rehabilitation, and referral to a DME company after inpatient rehabilitation discharge if needed.	Device: CPAP device; Eligible participants with OSA will be started on automatically-adjusting CPAP.; Behavioral: CPAP technical support; Trained personnel will conduct mask selection and fitting, provide continual troubleshooting, and train participants on CPAP.; Behavioral: Phone follow-up for adherence feedback and self-management skills; The research coordinator will call participants approximately monthly to provide any needed support.; Behavioral: myAir; Study personnel will assist participants in registering for and using the myAir (ResMed) self-tracking app. This app also provides a library of how-to videos and provides email updates to participants.; Behavioral: Tailored messages; Tailored text messages will be sent to participants. Two-way texting messaging will also be available between the study team and participants.; Behavioral: Written Materials; A binder of written educational materials will be provided to participants.; Behavioral: Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET); A trained sleep coach will conduct up to 5 MET sessions with participants and 2 sessions with a CPAP partner during the study time period.
Active Comparator: Standard Support; Participants assigned to the control group will receive only the 3 basic supportive treatments, including OSA and CPAP education, respiratory therapy and nursing support during inpatient rehabilitation, and referral to a DME company after study completion if needed. CPAP will be set up by the respiratory therapist (or similar personnel) on the inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) unit with standard mask fitting and troubleshooting, if available. Assistance with mask placement will be provided by IPR nurses and respiratory therapy, as needed. The control interventions mimic usual care, which typically entails a setup by respiratory therapy and support for CPAP placement and device maintenance by IPR nurses.	Device: CPAP device; Eligible participants with OSA will be started on automatically-adjusting CPAP.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
CPAP Adherence	Average nightly minutes of CPAP use over the 90-day period is passively transmitted from a modem in each CPAP device via cellular service and securely accessed via the ResMed program, AirView. Alternatively, data cards can be obtained and downloaded.	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Stroke recovery measure	Functional disability (mRS-9Q) will be measured at ~90 days by phone [range 0-5; higher scores indicate lower level of function in neurological disease]	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Washington
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Devin Brown, MD, MS, University of Michigan; Principal Investigator: Sandeep Khot, MD, MPH, University of Washington

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 21, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 3, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): December 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 30, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 25, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stroke recovery; sleep apnea; continuous positive airway pressure; behavioral therapy; self determination
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Sleep Wake Disorders; Apnea; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Apnea Syndromes; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Directive Counseling; Counseling; Mental Health Services; Motivational Interviewing
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00021430; R01HL164394-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No