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Appropriate Inhaler Use of Tiotropium As Add-on Therapy in Symptomatic Asthma

Appropriate Inhaler Use of Tiotropium As Add-on Therapy to Inhaled Glucocorticoids (ICS) with Long-acting Beta-agonists (LABA) in Adult Patients with Symptomatic Asthma: the Impact of Checking and Correcting Inhaler Technique in Real World

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04696965
Enrollment
48
Registered
2021-01-06
Start date
2021-03-04
Completion date
2023-11-20
Last updated
2025-02-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Asthma

Keywords

Tiotropium, Inhaler technique, Asthma

Brief summary

This pragmatic, two-arm, randomized controlled trial study aim to survey the inhaler errors of add-on tiotropium therapy with ICS+LABA in real-world practice of asthma patients and the efficacy of recheck stratage of inhaler skills. Patient characteristics and inflammatory features will be evaluated prospectively for association of asthma control by add-on tiotropium.

Detailed description

1. The clinical efficacy of tiotropium as add-on treatment to ICS with a LABA have been demonstrated in clinical trials in adult patients with symptomatic asthma. 2. Certain patients of daily care, like patients with smoking asthma, late onset asthma or asthma with chronic airway obstruction are often excluded from clinical trials. 3. Studies have shown the cognitive function of patients with COPD is impaired. When mixed types of inhaler devices are prescribed, the multiple steps of different devices may ensure complexity and confusion for patients, which may compromise the efficacy of add-on therapy. The inhaler error of add-on tiotropium treatment in real-world asthma treatment is unknown. 4. The improvement of step errors after varieties of teaching intervention is around 30\ 50%. Strategy of recheck inhaler technique recommended by the treatment guideline may optimized inhaler use. (https://ginasthma.org/gina-reports/). 5. Factors like responseness of short-acting bronchodilators and cholinergic tone have been reported as predictors of a positive clinical response of add-on tiotropium. However, more specific physiological or inflammatory factors. e.g. exhaled nitric oxide test (FeNo), and para symptomatic function and cardiac-pulmonary interaction have not been evaluated prospectively. 6. This pragmatic, two-arm, randomized controlled trial study aim to survey the inhaler errors of add-on tiotropium therapy with ICS+LABA in real-world practice of asthma patients and the efficacy of recheck stratage of inhaler skills. Patient characteristics and inflammatory features will be evaluated prospectively for association of asthma control by add-on tiotropium.

Interventions

OTHERCorrect/recheck strategy

One month after recruitment and every 3 months. 1. Check the inhaler step errors of patients by research assistant; 2.Demonstrate the right way by research assistant; 3. give the inhaler check list with marks of the wrong step(s) patients made to patients and 4. confirm the patients do the right way of the previous wrong step(s).

OTHERUsual verbal instruction

One month after recruitment and every 3 months.1. Check the inhaler step errors of patients by research assistant; 2. Verbal instruction with a physical demonstration will be given by educational nurse in usual care.

Sponsors

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Masking description

The subjects enrolled will be informed the purpose of this study is to evaluate the inhaler step errors after add-on tiotropium with the other ICS+LABA inhaler and how the education improve patients to reduce the error rate. The subjects are not aware the different methods of study arm and control arm.

Intervention model description

Brief summary of protocol At visit 1, patients characteristics, lung function, cognition function, HRV, CRC and FeNo will be recorded. Randomization by stratification with cognition function will be done but both arms receive usual verbal instruction of inhaler steps. At visit 2, inhaler step errors will be recorded 1 months after add-on Tiotropium with ICS+LABA and interventions of education start by correct/recheck strategy in study arm and usual verbal instruction in control arm. At visit 3, inhaler step errors will be recorded 3 months after add-on Tiotropium with ICS+LABA as the primary endpoint. Heart rate variability (HRV), cardiopulmonary coupling (CRC) and FeNo will be checked. Other endpoints, e.g. lung function, PEFR, exacerbation will be evaluated at V3 and V4 (6 months after V1), V5 (9 months after V1) and V6 (12month after V1)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Age 20 to 75 years old asthmatic patients under regular treatment 2. Received medium to high dose ICS with LABA at least 3 months 3. Persistent asthma related symptoms: asthma control questionnaire (ACQ-7\>1.5) 4. Physicians in charged prescribed Tiotropium as add-on therapy according to clinical judgement.

Exclusion criteria

1. Refuse to provide inform consent 2. Pregnancy or breastfeeding women 3. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 4. Using other Long-acting Muscarinic Antagonists e.g. Sebree, Ultibro, Anoro and Spiolto

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Errors rate of Inhaler steps3 monthsThe improvement of inhaler steps errors after recheck stratage after 3 month of add-on tiotropium and ICS+LABA

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Asthma control3 monthsThe improvement of asthma control evaluated by Asthma Control Test (ACT). The scores range from 5 (poor control of asthma) to 25 (complete control of asthma), with higher scores reflecting greater asthma control. An ACT score \>19 indicates well-controlled asthma.
Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) before bronchodilation3 monthsThe improvement of FEV1 before bronchodilation evaluated by spirometry after 3 month of add-on tiotropium and ICS+LABA
Acute exacerbation3, 6,9 and 12 monthThe rate of acute exacerbation in one year

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Correlation of the errors rate of Inhaler steps and mini-cog score1 monthThe mini-cog score will be evaluated when patient recruitment. The mini-cog is score of five-points in total, a score of zero, one or two indicates a concern in cognitive functioning. The error of inhaler steps will be recorded one month after 3 month of add-on tiotropium and ICS+LABA. Correlation will be tested via Pearson's test or Sperman rank correlation test.
Correlation of the errors rate of Inhaler steps and poor asthma control3 monthThe error of inhaler steps will be recorded one month after add-on tiotropium therapy. Asthma control will be evaluated by Asthma Control Test (ACT) 3 months after 3 month of add-on tiotropium and ICS+LABA. Correlation will be tested via Pearson's test or Sperman rank correlation test. The distribution of errors rate of inhaler steps between patients with asthma well control (ACT\>19) and patients with asthma poor control (ACT\<=19) will be tested by Mann-Whitney test.

Countries

Taiwan

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026