MedPath

Exercise Training and Testosterone Replacement in Heart Failure Patients

Phase 4
Completed
Conditions
Heart Failure
Interventions
Other: Exercise training
Registration Number
NCT01852994
Lead Sponsor
University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if exercise training with or without testosterone replacement can improve cardiopathy in heart failure patients

Detailed Description

In this study, we are evaluating:

* hospital length of stay and readmission

* muscle sympathetic nerve activity

* functional capacity

* body composition

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Male
Target Recruitment
39
Inclusion Criteria
  • heart failure
  • hypogonadism
  • left ventricular fraction ejection < 45%
Exclusion Criteria
  • chronic renal failure
  • normal testosterone
  • pace maker

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
FACTORIAL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Testosterone replacementTestosterone replacementTestosterone replacement will be done quarterly
Exercise trainingExercise trainingAerobic and strength exercise training
Testosterone replacement+ExerciseTestosterone replacementBoth Testosterone replacement and Exercise will done
Testosterone replacement+ExerciseExercise trainingBoth Testosterone replacement and Exercise will done
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Microneurography4 months of exercise training/testosterone replacement

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) is recorded directly from the peroneal nerve using the microneurography technique. Multiunit postganglionic muscle sympathetic nerve recordings is made using a tungsten microelectrode. All of the recordings of MSNA met previously established and described criteria. MSNA is quantified as burst frequency (bursts per minute).

Forearm blood flow4 months of exercise training/testosterone replacement

Forearm blood flow is measured by venous occlusion plethysmography. The nondominant arm is elevated above heart level to ensure adequate venous drainage. A mercury-filled silastic tube attached to a low-pressure transducer is placed around the forearm and connected to a plethysmography. Forearm blood flow is determined on the basis of a minimum off four separate readings. Forearm vascular conductance is calculated by dividing forearm blood flow by mean arterial pressure times 100 and expressed in arbitrary units.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Cardiopulmonary exercise4 months of exercise training/testosterone replacement

The maximal cardiopulmonary test is carried out on a bike using a ramp protocol with workload increment every minute with energetic demand of about 1 metabolic equivalent(MET) per minute or 3.5 mL/Kg.min of oxygen uptake.

Body composition4 months of exercise training/testosterone replacement

Body composition and bone mineral density is determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry using densitometry equipment (Hologic), at the following regions: lumbar spine, femoral neck, total femur and total body. Appendicular lean mass is calculated as the sum of arms and legs lean soft tissue masses, assuming that all non-fat and non-bone tissue is skeletal muscle. The total body fat is expressed in grams and as a percentage of body weight.

Muscle biopsy4 months of exercise training/testosterone replacement

The muscle biopsy is obtained with a single entry into the muscle 5-10 minutes after administering the local anesthetic following an incision through the skin. A portion of the muscle (\~10 mg) is processed to evaluate 1) muscle fiber type and 2) cross-sectional area

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Instituto do Coração do Hospital da Clínicas da Universidade de Sao Paulo

🇧🇷

Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath