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Positional Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: a Randomised Controlled Trial to Assess the Effect on Health and Wellbeing in Older and Younger People

ClinicalTrials.gov · COMPLETED, 2023

120 participants

Abstract

Vibro-tactile feedback may be beneficial for some patients, who have positional obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

Aim: to determine whether Positional Therapy, applied by a discrete neck-worn vibro-tactile feedback device, is an effective treatment for positional OSA, in reducing the disease severity and associated symptoms, compared to Sham-Positional Therapy. The interaction between treatment and age will also be assessed, since pathophysiology, symptoms and treatment tolerance varies with age.

Methods: A prospective randomised, parallel, double-blinded trial comparing Positional Therapy (Night Shift™; Advanced Brain Monitoring, USA) with Sham-Positional Therapy, performed in older (\>65 years) and younger patients with positional OSA (apnoea/hypopnea index (AHI)\>5 events/hour, 2:1 when supine). The primary endpoint, AHI at 3 months, will be measured by a repeat study with the device in situ, and compared between Positional Therapy and Sham-Positional Therapy. Patients' subjective symptoms, wellbeing and quality of life, will be assessed by questionnaires at baseline and 3 months. Adherence to therapy will be measured.

Conditions: Sleep Apnea, Obstructive, Positional Sleep Apnea.

Primary outcome: Change in OSA severity defined by Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index (AHI): Final AHI after 3 months (adjusted for baseline AHI) of patients treated with Positional Therapy, compared to Sham-Positional Therapy(events/hour).

Enrollment: 120 participants.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 120 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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