MedPath

Rehabilitation of Airway Protection in Parkinson's Disease

Phase 2
Recruiting
Conditions
Parkinson Disease
Dysphagia
Interventions
Behavioral: Expiratory Muscle Strength Training + Cough Skill Training
Registration Number
NCT05700825
Lead Sponsor
Teachers College, Columbia University
Brief Summary

Airway protective disorders are a prevalent and progressive consequence of Parkinson's Disease (PD), and often result in aspiration pneumonia which is the leading cause of death in PD. Despite this, a large number of patients with PD do not access specialized services to address these critical deficits. The investigators will examine the comparative effectiveness of a novel treatment paradigm delivered in-person versus via telehealth in persons with PD, as well as the role of patient burden and treatment adherence on outcomes; thus, the proposed research is relevant to public health and in line with NIH's mission to identify novel, efficacious, and accessible rehabilitation strategies for short- and long-term improvement of dysfunctional airway protection in PD.

Detailed Description

Progressive disorders of airway protection, such as swallowing disorders (dysphagia) and cough disorders (dystussia), are highly prevalent in PD and have significant negative implications for health and quality of life. In fact, aspiration pneumonia, commonly associated with dysphagia/dystussia, is a leading cause of death in PD. Despite this, there is currently no established standard of care for the treatment of airway protective disorders in this population. Even more critically, approximately 40% of individuals with PD in the United States do not access rehabilitation services or receive specialized care for these potentially life-threatening airway protective deficits. Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) and Cough Skill Training (CST) have been found to improve airway protective disorders in PD and be feasible via telehealth. However, a significant clinical-research gap remains in that it has not been demonstrated that clinical outcomes are comparable (non-inferior) when these treatments are delivered via telehealth versus in-person. This gap limits access to these important services with detrimental effects to health and quality of life. The long-term goal of this line of research is to improve the health outcomes of individuals with PD, specifically as they relate to airway protective dysfunction. The objective of this application is to pair EMST + CST - and compare clinical and patient-centered outcomes when conducted in-person versus via telehealth in the short- and the long-term. Also, the investigators will assess the role of specific patient burden factors and resultant treatment adherence on clinical outcomes. Therefore, the aims of this study are to: 1) Compare clinical and patient-centered outcomes following four weeks of intensive in-person vs. telehealth EMST+CST treatment in persons with PD, 2) Compare clinical and patient-centered outcomes from a long-term EMST+CST maintenance program offered in-person vs. via telehealth in persons with PD, and 3) Identify the role of specific patient burden factors (i.e., geographic location, cognitive function, disease severity, and caregiver burden) on treatment adherence in the short- and long-term and the influence of treatment adherence on clinical outcomes. The investigators will achieve these aims by conducting a two-arm, two site, randomized clinical trial in 120 people with PD comparing in-person vs. telehealth EMST+CST treatment after a four-week intensive period (aim1) and after a one year maintenance treatment period (with assessments at six and 12 months - aim 2). The investigators anticipate our findings will result in immediately translatable clinical deliverables that will have broad impact for reduced burden and improved accessibility of treatment. Further, these findings will inform our future studies investigating these treatments and service delivery models on long-term outcomes (i.e., aspiration pneumonia, hospitalization, death), accessibility, and healthcare costs.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
120
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
In-personExpiratory Muscle Strength Training + Cough Skill Training-
TelehealthExpiratory Muscle Strength Training + Cough Skill Training-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (Cough PEFR) - phase 1Pretraining to posttraining (after four weeks of intensive training)
Change in Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) - phase 1Pretraining to posttraining (after four weeks of intensive training)

PAS, max value: 8 (most impaired), min value 1 (least impaired).

Change in Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (Cough PEFR) - phase 2post-training to post one-year maintenance
Change in Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) - phase 2post-training to post one-year maintenance

PAS, max value: 8 (most impaired), min value 1 (least impaired).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Maximum Expiratory Pressure - phase 2post-training to post one-year maintenance
Change in Treatment Adherence- phase 2post-training to post one-year maintenance

percent of prescribed training coughs and breaths completed

Change in Cough expired volume - phase 1Pretraining to posttraining (after four weeks of intensive training)
Change in Maximum Expiratory Pressure - phase 1Pretraining to posttraining (after four weeks of intensive training)
Change in Cough expired volume - phase 2post-training to post one-year maintenance
Change in SWAL-QOL- phase 1Pretraining to posttraining (after four weeks of intensive training)

self-report questionnaire of swallowing quality of life, 44 min score, 220 max score - higher score is better QOL

Treatment Adherence - phase 1posttraining (after four weeks of intensive training)

percent of prescribed training coughs and breaths completed

Change in SWAL-QOL - phase 2post-training to post one-year maintenance

self-report questionnaire of swallowing quality of life, 44 min score, 220 max score - higher score is better QOL

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Teachers College, Columbia University

🇺🇸

New York, New York, United States

Purdue University

🇺🇸

West Lafayette, Indiana, United States

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