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Exercise Training in Women With Cardiac Devices

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Cardiovascular Diseases
Interventions
Behavioral: moderate-intensity continuous exercise training (MICT) group
Behavioral: high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group
Registration Number
NCT05946304
Lead Sponsor
Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation
Brief Summary

Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) are established treatments for a variety of cardiac arrhythmias. Women with CIED have lower fitness and lower quality of life compared to men with CIED. Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) is the most prescribed exercise for women. However, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to improve fitness, anxiety levels, quality of life, and other health indicators over MICT in men with CIED. There is a need to quantitatively evaluate the feasibility and effects of a virtual HIIT vs. virtual MICT program on the physical, quality of life, and mental health of women with CIED. Furthermore, a qualitative approach is also necessary to understand patients' experiences, barriers, and facilitators of a virtual exercise intervention. This mixed-methods pilot randomized controlled trial will assess the feasibility of a 12-week virtual HIIT and MICT program in women with CIED.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
20
Inclusion Criteria
  1. Women (i.e., female sex assigned at birth) with CIED (≥6 months since implant)
  2. Women with CIED in optimal medical therapy and functioning;
  3. Patient is able to perform a symptom-limited CPET;
  4. Patient is able to read and understand English or French.
Exclusion Criteria
  1. Patient is currently participating in routine exercise training (>2x/week);
  2. Patient has: documented unstable angina; or established diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, severe mitral or aortic stenosis, or hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy;
  3. Patient has an unmanaged psychiatric illness (e.g., active psychosis, suicidal ideation) or cognitive impairment;
  4. Patient does not have an internet connection or a device with a camera and speakers;
  5. Patient with any device troubleshooting at resting or during exercise;
  6. Patient is unable to provide written informed consent;
  7. Patient is unwilling or unable to return for follow-up visits at week 12;
  8. Patient is unwilling to be randomized to HIIT or MICT; or
  9. Pregnancy or patients who become pregnant during the 12-week intervention phase (the effects of interval training on an unborn fetus are unknown).

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Standard care + moderate-intensity continuous exercise training (MICT)moderate-intensity continuous exercise training (MICT) groupSupervised virtual MICT exercise sessions for 12 weeks (2x/wk) using the platform Zoom Care.
Standard care + high-intensity interval training (HIIT)high-intensity interval training (HIIT) groupSupervised virtual HIIT exercise sessions for 12 weeks (2x/wk) using the platform Zoom Care.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Feasibility - Number of classes participants attendedWeek 12

Exercise attendance will be assessed by the number of classes participants attended. High attendance to the CR program will be defined as being present at ≥ 70% of the classes.

Feasibility - Compliance to the exercise prescription based on heart rateWeek 12

Exercise compliance will be assessed as the ability to complete the prescribed intensity (based on the heart rate peak \[HR\] of the cardiopulmonary exercise test) for high-intensity interval training or moderate-intensity continuous training. The HRs across all classes for each patient will be averaged and compared to their target HR prescription. For instance, where patients exercised below, within, or above the prescribed HR ranges, these will be coded as "does not comply", "complies" and "exceeds".

Feasibility - Adverse eventsWeek 12

Safety will be assessed by enumerating reported adverse events during the study period.

Feasibility - Number of dropoutsWeek 12

The number of patients who withdraw from the program will be reported as descriptive data and compared between groups (e.g., high-intensity interval program vs moderate-intensity continuous training).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Exercise capacity - maximal oxygen uptake (VO2peak)Following 12-weeks of intervention

will be measured using a gold standard symptom-limited, cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on an electronically braked cycle ergometer. Gas exchange will be monitored continuously; the highest rate of oxygen uptake achieved (i.e. peak VO2 in mL/kg/min) during the last minute of the CPET will represent exercise capacity.

Cardiometabolic health indicators - Menstrual statusFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

The menstrual status will be collected via a questionnaire.

Exercise self-efficacyfollowing 12-weeks of intervention

the 9-item Multidimensional Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale (MSES-R) yields an overall self-efficacy for exercise score reflecting scheduling, task, and coping self-efficacy. Participants are asked: "How confident are you that you can exercise when..." and respond to each item on a 100% confidence scale (0-100). A higher score indicates higher self-efficacy for exercise.

Physical activity enjoymentfollowing 12-weeks of intervention

the 18-item Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) measures the extent (on a 7-point Likert scale) to which participants enjoy doing physical activity by asking participants to rate "how you feel at the moment about the physical activity you have been doing" from 1 (I enjoy it) to 7 (I hate it). The score ranges from 18-126. Higher scores indicate higher enjoyment.

Cardiometabolic health indicators - Blood pressureFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured in a seated position after a 5-minute rest period on the right arm using an automated, blood pressure monitor.

Cardiometabolic health indicators - Body mass indexFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

Height (cm) and body mass (kg) will be measured to compute body mass index (kg/m2).

Cardiometabolic health indicators - Fat massFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

Fat mass (kg) and fat-free mass (kg) will be measured using bioelectrical impedance.

Gender identityfollowing 12-weeks of intervention

Participants will complete the Traditional Masculinity and Femininity scale (TMF), designed to assess central facets of self-ascribed masculinity-femininity. A 7-point scale is used to gauge the extent to which the participant feels feminine or masculine (e.g., how feminine or masculine she or he ideally would like to be, and how feminine and masculine her or his appearance, interests, attitudes, and behavior would traditionally be seen). This scale does not assess worse or better outcomes.

Mental health - Anxiety levelsFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) questionnaire.GAD-7 is a validated, self-reported anxiety questionnaire. The GAD-7 is a 7-item questionnaire developed to identify probable cases of generalized anxiety disorder. The GAD-7 score ranges from 0 - 21, where scores between 10-14 indicate moderate levels of anxiety and scores over 15 indicate severe anxiety.

Cardiometabolic health indicators - Heart rateFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

measured in a seated position after a 5-minute rest period using an automated blood pressure monitor.

Cardiometabolic health indicators - Waist circumferenceFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

will be measured using standardized procedures (2 repeated measures using a tape; in centimeters).

Quality of life (self-reported)Following 12-weeks of intervention

will be measured using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36). The SF-36 is a widely used and thoroughly validated, standardized, generic health survey with 36 questions. It yields an 8-scale (physical functioning; role-physical; bodily pain; general health; vitality; social functioning; role-emotional; and, mental health) profile of functional health and well-being scores as well as psychometrically-based physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores. The PCS has been shown to be one of the most valid SF-36 scales for measuring physical health. The score ranges from 0 (low) to 100 (high). The lower the score the more disability. Higher scores indicate better health status.

Mental health - Depression levelsFollowing 12-weeks of intervention

measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) questionnaire. The PHQ-9 is a nine-symptom checklist questionnaire, where each question score ranges from 0 - 3. The total score ranges from 0-27 and it is divided into 5 levels: 0-4 (minimal); 5-9 (mild); 10-14 (moderate;) 15-19 (moderately severe) and 20-27 (severe depression).

Self-determined motivation for exercisefollowing 12-weeks of intervention

the 24-item Behavioural Regulation in Exercise questionnaire (BREQ-3) yields an overall Relative Autonomy Index (RAI) score, representing overall self-determined motivation. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (0-4), with higher scores representing greater self-determined motivation for exercise.

Gender-Related Variablesfollowing 12-weeks of intervention

Participants will complete the Genesis-Praxy questionnaire (20-item). The gender score is used to categorize patients according to the masculine and feminine characteristics they present (i.e., according to their gender profile). The score represents the probability between 0% and 100% for each patient to be a "woman." Therefore, the gender scale is considered a continuum, ranging from masculine characteristics (gender scores toward zero) to feminine traits (gender scores toward one hundred). This scale does not assess worse or better outcomes.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Ottawa Heart Institute

🇨🇦

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

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