Head Position in Stroke Trial

An investigator-initiated and conducted, international, multicentre, cluster, randomised cross-over controlled trial to establish the comparative effectiveness of different head positioning in patients with acute stroke

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

SLCTR

Registry ID

SLCTR/2015/025

Enrollment

700

Registered

2015-11-17

Start date

2015-11-17

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

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

Conditions

Acute Ischaemic and Haemorrhagic Stroke

Interventions

Study setting: Acute stroke units in hospitals globally. The study will be carried out in the following centers in Sri Lanka 1. National Hospital of Sri Lanka 2. Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital 3

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Adults aged >18 years (the age for adults may vary in different countries) 2. Presumed clinical diagnosis of acute stroke (i.e. with a persistent neurological deficit on presentation) 3. Present to hospital, or have an in-hospital event or transfer from another hospital, with an acute stroke.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Transient ischemic attack (TIA) (i.e. symptoms fully resolved upon presentation) 2. Definite clinical contraindication or indication to either sitting up or lying flat head positions 3. Significant medical condition that takes priority in care and where adherence to the randomized head position is not possible on another ward/department of the hospital 4. Immediate transfer from the Emergency Department (ED) or admission, to another ward for medical treatment (e.g. for haemodialysis) or surgery (e.g. carotid endarterectomy, haematoma evacuation) where adherence to the randomized head position is not possible.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
A shift (‘improvement’) in death or disability according to the patient’s modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. [90 days ]	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. A shift in NIHSS score 2. Death 3. Length of hospital stay 4. The European Quality of Life Scale 5 Dimension (EQ-5D) 5. Pneumonia [1. 7 days 2. 90 days 3. At discharge 4. At 90 days 5. Occurrence 48 hours or more after admission, which was not incubating at the time of admission ]	—

Countries

Australia,Brazil,Chile,China,Colombia,India,Sri Lanka,Taiwan, Province of China,United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactProf Saman Gunatilake

Consultant Neurologist and Professor of Medicine

samangunathilake@hotmail.com0112763261

Outcome results

None listed

Source: SLCTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 9, 2026