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HEART Camp Connect -Promoting Exercise in Adults With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
HFpEF - Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Interventions
Behavioral: HEART Camp
Behavioral: HEART Camp Connect
Registration Number
NCT05784753
Lead Sponsor
University of Nebraska
Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to learn more about patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and exercise. Investigators want to see if meeting with a coach in person or by video conference will help these patients exercise, feel better, and change markers in their blood. Participants will be randomly placed in one of three groups for 18 months. All groups will have access to a fitness center and be given a watch and heart rate monitor to wear during exercise. The usual care group (control group) will have access to exercise videos via the medical fitness center and will not meet with a coach. The HEART Camp group will exercise and meet with their coach in-person at the medical fitness center. The HEART Camp Connect group will have access to exercise videos via the medical fitness center and will meet with their coach via videoconferencing. All participants will take part in an exercise test and study training prior to being randomized. At four data collection time points, participants will wear an activity monitor for 7 days each, have their blood drawn, and answer questions related to heart failure and exercise. Participants will also wear a heart rate monitor when they exercise and fill out a daily exercise diary.

Detailed Description

The overall objectives for this study are to: (a) test the efficacy of virtual and in-person exercise interventions to promote long-term adherence to exercise; (b) determine a benchmark of exercise minutes that reaches a minimal clinically important difference in heart failure related health status and drives improvements in physical function, inflammatory markers, and patient-reported outcomes; (c) identify interventional mechanisms, interim clinical events and prognostic indicators of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) that mediate adherence; (d) assess delivery method and related cost of the intervention to support translation and scalability. To meet these objectives, investigators propose a three-group, 2-2-1 randomized repeated measures experimental design with 4 data collection points \[baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months to compare HEART Camp, HEART Camp Connect, and virtual enhanced usual care (EUC).

This study begins with the cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) . The CPET is used to develop an exercise prescription and ensure participant safety and readiness for exercise. Participants who have completed a CPET within 6 months of enrollment with no changes in medications will not repeat the test. Any participants who exhibit potential safety concerns during CPET (e.g. cardiac arrhythmias, balance instability) will be evaluated by a trained providers, prior to continuing in the study. Those deemed unsafe to exercise will be withdrawn. After the CPET, participants will take part in the run-in period with 3 monitored sessions in cardiac rehabilitation and study orientation. All participants will be oriented during a one-time in-person training to familiarize them with the 1) Either in-person Engage center or Engage virtual platform via the HEART Camp You Tube channel; 2) All monitoring devices (Polar watch and Polar heart rate monitor, Actigraph, rating of perceived exertion scale, and exercise diary); and 3) Private HEART Camp You Tube channel where they can view investigator-developed educational videos specific to HFpEF and virtual exercise content. Participants who do not have a smart device with internet capability or have an insufficient data plan will be given a tablet with a wireless data plan for study use.

After randomization, participants in the intervention groups (HEART Camp Connect and HEART Camp) meet with a coach for the first 12 months of the study. The HEART Camp group will meet in-person at the medical fitness center with their coach. The HEART Camp Connect group will meet virtually, over videoconference. To improve the scalability of this intervention, investigators will taper coaching sessions according to the following schedule: Months 1-3 weekly, 1-on-1 coaching for 30 minutes; Months 4-12 1-on-1 coaching is reduced to 15 minute sessions every other week. On alternate weeks, participants will attend a 1-hour group-based exercise training and coaching. During these sessions, the coach will meet with 4-6 participants at once. One half of the class will be an exercise training session and the other half will be a question/answer session for participants to talk to the coach and each other about strategies for exercise. After 12 months, coaching (both intervention groups) and motivational messages (HEART Camp Connect only) will stop and participants will be expected to self-regulate exercise in months 13-18.

Participants will be asked to build up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly. During exercise sessions, participants will be asked to wear their study-provided watch and heart rate monitor and keep a daily exercise diary.

Participants will meet with research personnel at 4 times during the study for data collection including where they will have their blood drawn and complete a 6 minute walk test. At these data collection time points, participants will also wear an activity monitor for 7 days/nights and complete surveys related to their heart failure and exercise.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
300
Inclusion Criteria
  • Diagnosis of heart failure with an ejection fraction greater than or equal to 50
  • Echocardiogram in prior 24 months
  • Stable pharmacologic therapy in the past 30 days
  • Score greater than or equal to 6 on the heart failure with preserved ejection fraction algorithm or hemodynamic evidence of HFpEF
Exclusion Criteria
  • Life-limiting illness precluding study completion
  • Clinical evidence of decompensated heart failure
  • Unstable angina or marked shortness of breath on exertion at less than 2 metabolic equivalents
  • Myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, or biventricular pacemaker in prior 6 weeks
  • Orthopedic or neuromuscular disorders preventing aerobic exercise
  • Cardiopulmonary exercise test results that preclude safe exercise
  • Unwilling/unable to complete pre-randomization procedures
  • Pregnancy
  • Implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
HEART CampHEART CampParticipants in the HEART Camp group will be provided paid, in-person access to the medical fitness center and in-person coaching by a trained coach.
HEART Camp ConnectHEART Camp ConnectParticipants in the HEART Camp Connect group will be provided paid, virtual access to the medical fitness center and virtual coaching by a trained coach via videoconference. Participants will also receive automated, asynchronous motivational electronic messaging if they are below the weekly adherence threshold.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Exercise Adherence18 months

Adherence is measured as weekly minutes of moderate intensity exercise as measured by a watch and heart rate sensor.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
HF-related Health Status18 months

Scores on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, assessing the domains of physical limitations, HF symptoms, quality of life, social impact of HF, and self efficacy. A 23-item questionnaire where scores are generated for each domain and scaled from 0-100, with 0 denoting the worst and 100 the best possible status.

Physical Function18 months

Physical function will be measured by distance in meters completed on the 6 minute walk test.

Physical Activity18 months

Physical activity will be assessed based on data gathered from participants wearing an accelerometer for 7 days/nights.

Dyspnea Severity18 months

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-Dyspnea Severity 10a, assessing severity of shortness of breath in response to different activities over the prior 7-day period. 10 items are assessed on a 4-point Likert scale with raw scores ranging from 0-30. Higher scores indicate greater perceived dyspnea.

Health Status18 months

Euro Qual (EQ)-Visual Analog Scale, Participants rate their perceived health status on a scale of 0-100 with 0 indicating the worst imaginable health state and 100 indicating the best imaginable health state

Health-related Quality of Life18 months

Euro Qual (EQ)-5 Dimension, assessing the five dimensions of mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression. 5 items are assessed on a 5-point Likert scale and a summary index with a maximum score of 1 is derived from the 5 dimensions by conversion with a table of scores. The maximum score of 1 indicates the best health state.

Global Symptoms18 months

PROMIS-29 Profile v2.1 assessing physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbances, satisfaction with social role, pain impact, and pain intensity. Pain intensity is assessed using a single 0-10 numeric rating, The 7 health domains are measured using 4 items per domain that are assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. Each domain is scored separately with raw scores ranging from 4-20, higher scores indicate worse symptomatology.

C-reactive protein (CRP)Baseline

CRP will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 1.33 Max 49,600

Interleukin 1-Beta (IL1-beta)Baseline

IL1-beta will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 0.05 Max 375

Interleukin 1-Alpha12 months

IL1-alpha will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 0.09 Max 278

Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)Baseline

TNF-alpha will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 0.04 Max 248

C-reactive protein12 months

CRP will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 1.33 Max 49,600

Interleukin 1-Alpha (IL1-alpha)Baseline

IL1-alpha will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 0.09 Max 278

Interleukin 1-Beta12 months

IL1-beta will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 0.05 Max 375

Tumor Necrosis Factor-beta12 months

TNF-beta will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 0.08 Max 458

Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha12 months

TNF-alpha will be measured from human plasma using the Mesoscale Discovery Human Biomarker Panel Unit pg/mL Min 0.04 Max 248

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Nebraska Medical Center

🇺🇸

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

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