What are the effects of CPAP therapy on stroke patients?
Limited data from small trials show that treatment with CPAP is safe after stroke, reduces the AHI, improves sleepiness, and may improve neurological function.304 311 Effects on vascular recurrence are uncertain, although a planned ancillary analysis in the SAVE study (Sleep Apnea Cardiovascular Endpoints) revealed that risk for stroke was lower among participants (all had a history of coronary artery disease or cerebrovascular disease) who had better adherence to CPAP therapy (HR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.32 1.00]).