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Feasibility and Influence of Exercise Therapy on Oxygen Uptake and Right Heart Function in CTEPH Patients After PEA

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
CTEPH
Interventions
Behavioral: respiratory and exercise therapy
Registration Number
NCT01393327
Lead Sponsor
Heidelberg University
Brief Summary

Purpose of this study is to investigate whether and to what extent a cautious respiratory and movement therapy can complement medical treatment and the condition, oxygen uptake, quality of life, the pulmonary vascular pressures, the size of the right heart and the 6-minute walk distance in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Detailed Description

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a complication of acute pulmonary embolism. According to current knowledge, it is caused by non-resolving fibrothrombotic obstructions of large pulmonary arteries. Some patients show an additional small vessel vasculopathy. Both kinds of obstruction lead to an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), progressive right heart failure, and premature death if left untreated. Current guidelines recommend pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) as the potentially curative treatment of first choice, which aims to remove fibrotic obstructions from the pulmonary vasculature. The survival of patients undergoing PEA surgery ranges between 76 and 91% after 3 years, which is superior to medical treatment in inoperable CTEPH patients. The majority of operated patients experience almost complete normalisation of haemodynamics and improvements in symptoms. However, 17-51% of operated patients will develop persistent or recurrent pulmonary hypertension (PH). Some patients remain limited in their exercise capacity and prognosis. As patients are monitored on an intensive care unit immediately after PEA, immobilisation after the operation may lead to further peripheral deconditioning. A recent study of 251 CTEPH patients with follow-up until 12 months after PEA showed a persistent exercise limitation in almost 40% of patients despite normalisation of PVR and haemodynamics. This limitation was characterised by a multifactorial aetiology also involving respiratory function abnormalities. Previous studies in patients with inoperable or persistent CTEPH have suggested beneficial effects of exercise training as an add-on to targeted medical therapy, increasing exercise capacity, and quality of life (QoL). However, it is not known, whether early rehabilitation with exercise treatment is safe, feasible, and may further improve exercise capacity after PEA. Prospective studies on exercise training for CTEPH patients shortly after PEA surgery are lacking. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies yet describing the early effect within the first weeks after PEA. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the feasibility of supervised exercise training in CTEPH patients shortly after PEA. Furthermore, changes of haemodynamic and clinical parameters including oxygen uptake, QoL, exercise capacity, and right heart function assessed by echocardiography and right heart catheterisation were obtained before and shortly after PEA.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
45
Inclusion Criteria
  • Consent form
  • men and women> 18 years <80 years
  • CTEPH after pulmonary endarterectomy
Exclusion Criteria
  • Patients with signs of right heart decompensation
  • acute diseases, infections, fever
  • Serious lung disease with FEV1 <50% or TLC <70% of target
  • Other exclusion criteria are the following diseases: active myocarditis, unstable angina pectoris, exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, significant heart disease, pacemakers, and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, or a highly reduced left ventricular function

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Respiratory and exercise therapyrespiratory and exercise therapyEarly after PEA postoperative three-week inpatient rehabilitation and subsequent continuing of the training at home for 12 weeks.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change of peak O2 uptake (VO2peak) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Change of peak O2 uptake measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)

Completion rate of exercise rehabilitation program training by CTEPH patients directly after PEAup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Assessment of feasibility and tolerance of exercise rehabilitation directly after PEA assessed by the number of patients completing the exercise rehabilitation program

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in cardiac index (CI) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure (dPAP) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in exercise capacity - workloadup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

recumbent bike (Workload in Watts) during cycle Ergometer test

Change in right atrial areaup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Change of cm2 of right atrial area measured by 2D echocardiography

Safety of early rehabilitation directly after pulmonary endarterectomy: number of adverse events and serious adverse eventsup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

number of adverse events and serious adverse events

Change in right ventricular pressure (RVP) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in right atrial pressure (RAP) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in right atrial pressure (RAP) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in right ventricular pressure (RVP) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure (dPAP) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in venous oxygen saturation from pulmonary artery (SvO2) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in cardiac index (CI) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in cardiac output (CO) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in cardiac output (CO) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) during exerciseup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics during exercise

Change in venous oxygen saturation from pulmonary artery (SvO2) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in exercise capacity - respiratory economyup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

EqO2, EqCO2 assessed during cardiopulmonary exercise testing

Change of laboratory parameters of right heart functionup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Measurement of NT-proBNP

Change in visual right heart pump functionup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Change of category of right heart pump function (no impairment, slight impairment, moderate impairment, severe impairment) measured by 2D echocardiography

Change in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at restup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Changes in hemodynamics at rest

Change in exercise capacity assessed by six minute walking testup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Six Minute Walking distance (6MWD) in meters

Change in right ventricular areaup to 15 weeks after start of rehabilitation with exercise training

Change of cm2 of right ventricular area measured by 2D echocardiography

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Center for pulmonary Hypertension, Thoraxclinic Heidelberg

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Heidelberg, Germany

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