Designing and Assessing a Women Only Cardiac Rehabilitation (CARE) Program (CARE)

November 6, 2026 updated by: Melvyn Rubenfire, University of Michigan

Designing and Assessing a Women Only Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

The purpose of this randomized controlled study is to investigate the effect(s) of a pilot women-only cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program. The study team will be testing the effectiveness, compliance and enjoyment of this women's only cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program by comparing outcomes to those randomized to receive Michigan Medicine's current CR program (standard care), which includes people of all genders.

Study hypotheses:

  • Women randomized to women-specific CR programming will have superior attendance and completion rates compared to women attending mixed-sex CR programming.
  • Women randomized to women-specific CR programming will experience greater improvement in clinical outcomes in comparison to those in mixed-sex CR programming.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This registration was updated on 11/24/2025 due to amendments that were approved at the IRBMED.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
        • Recruiting
        • University of Michigan
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Melvyn Rubenfire, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
  • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability to participate in study procedures for the duration of the study
  • Identify as a female
  • Be between the ages of 40-80 years, inclusive
  • Documented diagnosis of CR indications of stable and/or refractory angina pectoris (with or without coronary obstructive disease), acute myocardial infarction (MI) within the preceding 12 months (including MINOCA), percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), surgical and transvalvular aortic valve replacement, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), post-aortic surgery with or without aortic valve, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and mitral valve replacement or repair with or without CABG
  • Referred to outpatient CR at the University of Michigan, Domino's Farms or Brighton Center for Specialty Care Cardiac Rehabilitation site based on Michigan Medicine's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Policy and Procedure.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not being "cleared" for CR based on Michigan Medicine's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Policy and Procedures
  • Prior participation in CR
  • Inability to understand spoken and written English, either due to language barrier or cognitive limitation for any reason, including deaf or blind
  • Frailty, fall risk, or muscle, joint or back pain as defined as the inability to perform activities of daily living without limitations and engage in mild physical activity (i.e. unable to walk up 1 flight of stairs unaided)
  • Any of the following as the indication for CR: aortic repair or replacement for aortic dissection, untreated or greater than New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II congestive heart failure, cardiac transplant candidate or recipient, tricuspid or pulmonic valve repair or replacement
  • Life threatening ventricular arrythmias without an implanted defibrillator; very frequent premature ventricular contraction or premature atrial contractions symptomatic or not; poorly controlled atrial fibrillation
  • Associated more than mild valvular heart disease, untreated congestive heart failure; unstable angina or heart pain with minimal activity; angina or congestive heart failure limiting ability to climb one flight of stairs without help (NHYA Functional Classification >2)
  • Severe pulmonary hypertension (right heart systolic pressure greater than 60 millimeters of mercury); clot in the heart; treated venous thrombosis with or without pulmonary embolism in past 6 months; more than mild dyspnea related to chronic lung disease or asthma
  • Chronic kidney disease (creatinine >2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl)); symptomatic active liver disease (infectious or inflammatory), symptomatic chronic liver disease (except for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease), kidney dialysis or kidney transplant recipient, active or chronic renal disease (rise by 0.5mg/dL in past 3 months or chronic elevated serum creatinine 2.0 milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL) or greater.
  • Poorly controlled diabetes defined as uninterrupted HbA1c >8.0% for ≥1 year despite standard care, baseline HbA1c prior to CR > 8.5%.
  • Immunosuppressive drug requirement, acute anemia, chronic anemia with Hemoglobin < 10mg/mL
  • Limiting chronic muscle, joint, or back pain; identified as fall risk from poor balance or neurologic syndromes; frailty defined as the inability to perform activities of daily living in older adults that carries an increased risk for poor health outcomes including falls, incident disability, hospitalization, and mortality
  • Untreated or active substance abuse/addiction including alcohol and drugs; depression (defined as a score ≥ 15 or depression positive answer to #8 or #9 on Patient Health Questionnaire-9) unless deemed acceptable by mental health care provider; severe anxiety
  • Severe obesity (Body mass index ≥ 40 kilograms/meters squared), history of bariatric surgery within previous 3 years and >5% body weight loss over preceding 12 months; chronic venous insufficiency with cellulitis or > 1+ edema unless controlled with support hose.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Women only Cardiac Rehab program
Behavioral: Women only Cardiac Rehab program

This is a 12-week program and will include 36 sessions 3 times a week. This group will also have Women-Only Education sessions. Participants will also have a 24-week follow-up visit from the time of entry.

Women-specific education content will be provided monthly in addition to the standard weekly "mini-teaches." This education content will be developed and delivered by experience health care professionals that are experts in women's health.
Active Comparator: Standard of Care (mixed-sex) rehab program
Behavioral: Standard of Care (mixed-sex) rehab program

This is a 12-week program and will include up to 36 sessions 3 times a week. Participants will also have a 24-week follow-up visit from the time of entry. Exercise classes are medically supervised, and each program is individualized based upon medical history, cardiac risk factors, goals, and initial fitness level. Educational programs are arranged in a continuing series, with sessions taught by experts in nutrition therapy, stress reduction therapy, and exercise.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) attendance rate
Time Frame: 12 weeks (post CR)

CR completion rate defined as number of patients that "graduated" or completed CR programming versus the number of patients that started CR programming [i.e. attended 75% or more of the prescribed sessions (≥27 out of 36)], expressed as a percentage of participants per arm.
12 weeks (post CR)
Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) attendance rate - percentage
Time Frame: 12 weeks (post CR)

Number of CR sessions attended out of number of CR sessions prescribed, expressed as a percentage
12 weeks (post CR)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Optimal blood pressure (BP) control
Time Frame: 12 weeks (post CR)

Percentage of patients that have optimal BP control at program discharge, defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) less than 130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) less than 80 Millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
12 weeks (post CR)
Change in resting systolic blood pressure (SBP)
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)

Change in resting SBP from baseline to CR completion, measured using an automated blood pressure monitor and expressed in mmHg.
Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)
Change in resting diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)

Change in resting DBP from baseline to CR completion, measured using an automated blood pressure monitor and expressed in mmHg.
Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)
Improvement in depression based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks (post CR)

Percentage (%) of patients with a positive depressive screen at CR entrance that experience a decrease in depressive symptoms (reduction in one or more levels of severity) as measured by changes in the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 score from baseline to completion of CR.

The PHQ-9 questionnaire is a self-assessed questionnaire that asks participants to respond to 9 questions with response options of 0, 1, 2 or 3. The total score scale ranges from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate more symptoms of depression.
Baseline to 12 weeks (post CR)
Change in Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 score
Time Frame: Baseline to 12 weeks (post CR)

A change in PHQ-9 scores will be measured during the first 12 weeks of the study. The PHQ-9 questionnaire is a self-assessed questionnaire that asks participants to respond to 9 questions with response options of 0, 1, 2 or 3. The total score scale ranges from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate more symptoms of depression.
Baseline to 12 weeks (post CR)
Change in Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 score
Time Frame: 12 weeks (post CR), 24 weeks

The PHQ-9 questionnaire is a self-assessed questionnaire that asks participants to respond to 9 questions with response options of 0, 1, 2 or 3. The total score scale ranges from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate more symptoms of depression. A change in PHQ-9 scores will be measured during the first 12 weeks of the study and will be repeated 12 weeks following program completion.
12 weeks (post CR), 24 weeks
Improvement in functional capacity measured by the six-minute walk test
Time Frame: Baseline, up to 12 weeks (post CR)

Percentage of patients that achieve an increase in distance walked, in meters, by at least 10%, after participation in CR as measured by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT).
Baseline, up to 12 weeks (post CR)
Change in 6-minute walk test distance
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)

The distance walked in six minutes on a standard course will be measured in meters at baseline and CR Exit
Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)
Improvement in functional capacity Metabolic Equivalents (METs)
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)

Percentage of patients that display an overall mean increase in estimated METs (0.93 METs, 12.4%): with greatest increase occurring in "low" fitness patients < 5 METs (1.3 METs, 35% increase), followed by "moderate" fitness 5-8 METs (1.03 METs, 16% increase), and "high" fitness > 8 METs (0.77 METs, 8% increase)2,3 after participation in CR as measured by estimated exercise session peak METs.
Baseline, 12 weeks (post CR)
Change in estimated exercise session peak METs
Time Frame: Baseline, up to 12 weeks (post CR)

The difference in estimated peak METs between baseline (defined as the third session to account for learning effect) and program completion.
Baseline, up to 12 weeks (post CR)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Michigan

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Texas

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Melvyn Rubenfire, MD, University of Michigan

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 5, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 16, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 16, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 20, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 6, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • HUM00252649

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings