Using CPAP to improve walking distance in patients with airway collapse
Official title: Effect of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) on 6-Minute Walk Test Outcomes in Patients With Excessive Central Airway Collapse (ECAC)
Run by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · NCT04217603 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing if using a CPAP machine can help people with airway collapse walk farther in six minutes.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 32 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Boston, Massachusetts) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | March 1, 2023 |
| Main results expected | September 29, 2026 |
| Study ends | September 29, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | April 13, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT04217603 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are adults over 18 years old with a confirmed diagnosis of ECAC who have not previously used CPAP devices.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with poorly-controlled respiratory conditions or significant comorbidities that may hinder their ability to improve exercise capacity will not benefit from this study.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This clinical trial investigates the effects of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device on exercise capacity in adult patients diagnosed with excessive central airway collapse (ECAC). It is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial that aims to determine if CPAP can improve the distance patients can walk in six minutes, as measured by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Participants will undergo baseline assessments and then be monitored for changes in their walking distance and symptoms over a three-month period. The study will include 32 patients who have not previously used CPAP devices and will be evaluated through standard pulmonary function tests and bronchoscopy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide a non-invasive treatment option to improve exercise capacity and quality of life for patients with ECAC.
How similar studies have gone: While CPAP is commonly used for other conditions, this specific application for ECAC is novel and has not been extensively tested in prior studies.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Patient with a diagnosis of ECAC either via bronchoscopy or CT Scan * Age \> 18 years * Patients that will undergo a diagnostic or therapeutic bronchoscopy as part of their standard of care * Patients with a baseline 6 MWT * Patients that have never used CPAP devices in the past Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with poorly-controlled respiratory comorbidities (asthma, COPD, obstructed sleep apnea, GERD, relapsing polychondritis) * No evidence for acute respiratory tract infection, or respiratory tract infection within the prior 3 weeks * Resting bradycardia (\<50 beats/min), frequent multifocal PVCs, complex ventricular arrhythmia, sustained SVT * Dysrhythmia that might pose a risk during exercise or training * Any disease or condition that interferes with completion of initial or follow-up assessments * Subject has co-morbidities that may significantly reduce subject's ability to improve exercise capacity (e.g., severe arthritis, planned knee surgery) or baseline limitation on 6MWT is not due to dyspnea. * Subject has an inability to walk \>140m (150 yd) in 6 minutes * Subject has an inability to tolerate bronchoscopy under moderate sedation or general anesthesia. * Subject has a known sensitivity to drugs required to perform bronchoscopy.
Where it's running
-
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Bioresorbable airway splint for treating airway collapse in children
This study is testing a new 3D-printed airway splint to see if it can help children with airway collapse breathe better without needing a tracheostomy tube.
-
Daily 7-Minute Digital Meditation for Young Adults
A short daily, app-based meditation test in 18-40 year-olds in the US to see if it improves mood, stress, and well-being.
-
How regular meditation relates to thinking and emotion control
This study will see if people who regularly practice Isha-style meditation differ in cognitive skills and emotion regulation compared with people who do not meditate.
-
Measuring muscle health with a handheld electrical impedance device (mScan)
This project will test whether a handheld mScan device can quickly measure muscle health in adults with myopathies and in people without muscle disease by comparing its readings to MRI.
-
Reverse leftover spinal numbness after knee or hip replacement with an intrathecal saline flush
This study tests whether injecting a small amount of sterile saline through a spinal catheter can quickly reduce or eliminate leftover spinal anesthesia in adults having elective lower-extremity joint replacement.
-
Seeing if DCog Short on an iPad can spot neurotoxicity in CAR-T patients
This study tests whether a self-report iPad tool called DCog Short can help identify neurotoxicity in people receiving CAR-T cell therapy.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.