A Study of Pulmonary Hypertension Peripheral Limitations

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Healthy; Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• Interventions: Behavioral: Leg Training; Behavioral: Aerobic Training

• Registration Number: NCT05968859
• Lead Sponsor: Mayo Clinic

Brief Summary

The investigators are doing this research study to compare whole body aerobic training with isolated leg training (with weights) and its impact on effectiveness in symptoms and quality of life in patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH).

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-07-20
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-07-20
• Study First Posted: 2023-08-01
• Study Start: 2024-01-02
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-04-04
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-08
• Primary Completion: 2028-03
• Study Completion: 2028-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 45

Inclusion Criteria

1. Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Subjects:

   1. Informed consent obtained before any trial-related activities. Trial-related activities are any procedures that are carried out as part of the trial, including activities to determine suitability for the trial.
   2. NYHA Class II-IV
   3. LVEF ≥ 40 % within the preceding year.
   4. No hospitalizations due to heart failure in the preceding 30 days.
   5. No recent initiation of pulmonary vasodilator in the last 60 days
   6. Pulmonary arterial hypertension by right heart catheterization (Mean PA pressure ≥ 20 mmHg with PVR>2 Wood units) with no evidence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (exercise PCWP <25 mm Hg).
   7. Symptomatic PAH patients with plan to undergo exercise RHC for reassessment of exertional symptoms

2. Healthy Controls:

   1. Informed consent obtained before any trial-related activities. Trial-related activities are any procedures that are carried out as part of the trial, including activities to determine suitability for the trial.
   2. No known diagnosis of heart failure

Exclusion Criteria

• Myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, unstable angina pectoris or transient ischemic attack within 30 days prior to the day of screening.
• Planned coronary, carotid, or peripheral artery revascularization.
• Any other condition judged by the investigator to be the primary cause of dyspnea (such as heart failure due to restrictive cardiomyopathy or infiltrative conditions (e.g., amyloidosis), hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, anemia, or more than moderate mitral or aortic heart valve disease).
• Wheelchair bound or orthopedic inability to exercise
• Chronic hypoxemia with inability to exercise without oxygen supplementation (PAH Subjects) or need for oxygen supplementation (Healthy Controls)
• Skeletal muscle myopathy
• History of rhabdomyolysis
• Participation in any clinical trial of an approved or non-approved device for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension within 30 days before screening.
• Receipt of any investigational medicinal product within 30 days before screening
• Female who is pregnant, breast-feeding or intends to become pregnant or is of child-bearing potential and not using a highly effective contraceptive method.
• Major surgery scheduled for the duration of the trial, affecting walking ability in the opinion of the investigator.
• Any disorder, including severe psychiatric disorder, suicidal behavior within 90 days before screening, and suspected drug abuse, which in the investigator´s opinion might jeopardize subject´s safety or compliance with the protocol.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Leg Training	Leg Training	Subjects with PAH will be enrolled to complete baseline study assessments, be randomized to undergo leg training for 12 weeks, and then repeat study assessments.
Aerobic Training	Aerobic Training	Subjects with PAH will be enrolled to complete baseline study assessments, be randomized to undergo aerobic training for 12 weeks, and then repeat study assessments.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in skeletal muscle O2 diffusive conductance (Dm) during supine cycle exercise	Baseline, approximately 12 weeks	Dm is measured in ml/mm Hg/min during supine cycle exercise

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in maximal mitochondrial respiration	Baseline, approximately 12 weeks	Measured for the respiratory complexes (complex I+II) per mitochondrial protein content (pmol O2/μg mito/sec) from a quadriceps tissue biopsy.
Change in peak O2 consumption (peak VO2) during supine cycle exercise	Baseline, approximately 12 weeks	Peak VO2 is measured as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min) during supine cycle exercise.
Change in Quality of Life as measured by the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension-Symptoms and Impact (PAH-SYMPACT) questionnaire	Baseline, approximately 8 weeks, approximately 12 weeks	PAH-SYMPACT is a PAH-specific patient-reported outcomes instrument that quantifies PAH symptoms and impacts as a measurement of quality of life. The Symptom part is a daily diary that contains 12 items. The respondent is asked to rate each of the items for the past 24 hours. The response options for each item range from 0 " "no \[symptom\] at all" to 4 "very severe".
Change in Quality of Life as measured by the emPHasis-10 questionnaire	Baseline, approximately 8 weeks, approximately 12 weeks	The emPHasis-10 is a short and easy questionnaire that consists of 10 items that address breathlessness, fatigue, control, and confidence. Each item is scored on a semantic differential six-point scale (0-5), with contrasting adjectives at each end. A total emPHasis-10 score is derived using simple aggregation of the 10 items. emPHasis-10 scores range from 0 to 50, higher scores indicate worse quality of life.
Change in skeletal muscle O2 diffusive conductance (Dm) during single knee-extensor exercise	Baseline, approximately 12 weeks	Dm is measured in ml/mm Hg/min during single knee-extensor exercise.
Change in Quality of Life as measured by the 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36)	Baseline, approximately 8 weeks, approximately 12 weeks	The SF-36 questionnaire measures quality of life through a range of questions asking about patients physical and mental functioning. The SF-36 has a scale of 0-100 with lower scores indicating more disability and lower quality of life.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Mayo Clinic in Rochester; 🇺🇸 Rochester, Minnesota, United States