High-Intensity Interval Training vs Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training in Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation

June 1, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training vs Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Ejection Fraction, Functional Capacity, and Lipid Profiles in Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) in patients undergoing Phase II cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery disease or post-angioplasty. A total of 66 participants will be randomly allocated into two groups: HIIT (n=33) and MICT (n=33). The intervention will be conducted 3 times per week using treadmill-based exercise protocols under heart rate monitoring. Primary outcomes include changes in left ventricular ejection fraction, functional capacity measured by 6-minute walk test, and lipid profile parameters before and after intervention. Secondary assessment includes health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The study aims to determine which exercise modality provides superior cardiovascular and functional improvement in stable cardiac patients during supervised rehabilitation.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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 randomized controlled trial will compare the effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) in patients undergoing Phase II cardiac rehabilitation after stable coronary artery disease or post-angioplasty. A total of 66 participants will be randomly assigned into two groups.

The HIIT group will perform treadmill-based interval exercise 3 times per week at 85-95% heart rate reserve with active recovery periods, while the MICT group will perform continuous treadmill exercise at 65-75% heart rate reserve for 30-45 minutes.

Primary outcomes include left ventricular ejection fraction (echocardiography), functional capacity (6-minute walk test), and lipid profile (LDL, HDL, triglycerides, total cholesterol) measured before and after intervention. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) will also be assessed. The study aims to determine which exercise protocol produces greater improvement in cardiac and functional outcomes.

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.
66

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

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Multan, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 60000
        • Ch Pervaiz Elahi institute of cardiology Multan.
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • ALISHBA JAVED, MS-CPPT

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18-60 years.
  • Diagnosed with stable coronary artery disease confirmed by angiography, stress testing, or echocardiography.
  • Left ventricular ejection fraction ≥45%.
  • Functional NYHA Class I or II.
  • Medically cleared by a cardiologist to participate in exercise (including recent ECG or stress test if necessary).
  • Lightly active lifestyle prior to study (not involved in structured exercise programs).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unstable angina or recent myocardial infarction (within the past 6 weeks).
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic BP >180 mmHg or diastolic BP >110 mmHg).
  • Severe valvular heart disease, arrhythmias, or left ventricular dysfunction (EF <35%).
  • Musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., severe osteoarthritis, recent fractures, or surgeries) preventing safe participation in exercise.
  • Neurological disorders affecting mobility or safe exercise (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease).
  • Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c >9% or recent hypoglycemia).
  • Any other condition judged by the investigator to make participation unsafe.

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: None (Open Label)

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: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Participants will perform supervised treadmill-based high-intensity interval training 3 sessions per week, including 10-minute warm-up, 4 intervals of 4 minutes at 85-95% heart rate reserve, 4-minute active recovery at 50-60% heart rate reserve, followed by 5-minute cool-down.
Behavioral: High-Intensity Interval Training
Participants will perform supervised treadmill-based high-intensity interval training 3 times per week. Each session includes 10 minutes warm-up, 4 intervals of 4 minutes at 85-95% heart rate reserve, 4 minutes active recovery at 50-60% heart rate reserve, followed by 5 minutes cool-down.
Other Names:
  • HIIT
Active Comparator: Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT)
Participants will perform supervised treadmill-based continuous exercise 3 sessions per week at 65-75% heart rate reserve for 30-45 minutes, with warm-up and cool-down periods.
Behavioral: Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training
Participants will perform supervised treadmill-based continuous exercise 3 times per week at 65-75% heart rate reserve for 30-45 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down periods.
Other Names:
  • MICT

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
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction
Time Frame: Baseline and at 12 weeks after intervention
Assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction using echocardiography to determine changes in cardiac function after intervention.
Baseline and at 12 weeks after intervention
Functional Capacity
Time Frame: Baseline and at 12 weeks after intervention
Functional capacity will be measured by 6-minute walk test to evaluate distance covered during exercise tolerance assessment
Baseline and at 12 weeks after intervention

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
Lipid Profile
Time Frame: Baseline and at 12 weeks after intervention
Laboratory measurement of total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides to assess metabolic changes after exercise intervention.
Baseline and at 12 weeks after intervention

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.
Riphah International University

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: Arjumand Bano, MSPT, Riphah International University

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 (Estimated)

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.
June 1, 2026

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, 2026

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, 2026

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).
April 2, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
June 2, 2026

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.
June 2, 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.
June 1, 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.
June 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.
  • REC/RCR & AHS/25/0320

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.

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