Sleep Apnea Treatment After Stroke (SATS)

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the United States, yet there are very few treatments that improve stroke outcome. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)--frequent upper airway blockage that occurs during sleep--is common after stroke, affecting more than half of stroke patients. The most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in the general population is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) applied through a nasal mask during the hours of sleep. Positive air pressure holds the naso-oro-pharyngeal airway open during sleep.

The objective of this single-center, prospective, randomized study is to evaluate CPAP treatment in post-stroke patients. Participants will go through a medical interview, a brief neurological examination, and a sleep study to screen them for OSA. Those with OSA will be eligible for the second phase of the study during which participants will be randomly selected to receive either treatment with CPAP or with sham CPAP (placebo).

This project promises to establish feasibility, develop design and identify suitable outcome measures (e.g. hours of CPAP treatment per week, functional outcome, depression, fatigue, and impaired alertness) for a large-scale clinical trial of CPAP in stroke patients with OSA. If the larger trial shows benefits of CPAP, a new treatment for more than half of all stroke patients will become available.