Effect of Physical Exercise Performed Through Virtual Reality Games on Chronic Renal Patients During Hemodialysis

June 23, 2025 updated by: Talita Dias da Silva-Magalhães, University of Sao Paulo

Effect of Physical Exercise Performed Through Virtual Reality Games on the Modulation of Heart Rate Variability in Chronic Renal Patients During Hemodialysis.

Patients with chronic kidney diseases, especially those requiring hemodialysis, are characterized by an increased risk of numerous morbidities. This is a condition that significantly impacts the patient's quality of life, leads to dependence, and involves high-cost treatment. The physical condition of chronic kidney disease patients falls well below the recommendations set by the World Health Organization, indicating effective difficulties in the approaches used for implementing physical activity programs. New approaches must be considered. Physical activity through virtual reality can foster greater social integration of patients with physical exercise during hemodialysis, enabling improved quality of life and decreased frailty levels for these individuals due to its playful and motivational nature.

Objective: To assess changes in heart rate variability modulation and the quality of life of chronic kidney disease patients undergoing virtual reality-based exercise during hemodialysis sessions.

Methods: A longitudinal, controlled, randomized crossover clinical trial. The chronic kidney disease groups will be divided into two groups, Group A (GA) and Group B (GB). Group GA will engage in 10 interventions, with each intervention involving the completion of 3 sessions of a Virtual Reality (VR) game lasting 5 minutes each, totaling 15 minutes of exercise. Group GB will participate in 10 interventions, with each intervention comprising 15 minutes of physical exercise on a cycle ergometer, referred to here as conventional exercise.

After the initial 10 interventions, the groups will switch exercises; that is, GA will cease VR interventions and begin another 10 interventions with conventional exercise, while GB will stop conventional exercise interventions and start another 10 interventions with VR.

The Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form questionnaire, Beck's Anxiety and Depression Inventory, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire will also be administered to all groups.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

The objective of this Longitudinal CrossOver Clinical Trial is to compare changes in heart rate variability modulation in chronic renal patients undergoing conventional physical exercise and in a virtual environment during hemodialysis sessions.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

What are the differences in changes in heart rate variability modulation between chronic renal patients who undergo conventional physical exercise before and during hemodialysis sessions, and those who engage in virtual environment exercises?

How does the virtual environment influence changes in heart rate variability modulation compared to conventional physical exercise in chronic renal patients before and during hemodialysis sessions?

What is the relative effectiveness of conventional physical exercise compared to virtual environment exercise in improving heart rate variability modulation in chronic renal patients before and during hemodialysis sessions?

Group A will participate in 10 interventions, each intervention consisting of playing 3 rounds of a Virtual Reality game lasting 5 minutes, totaling 15 minutes of exercise. Group B will participate in 10 interventions, each intervention consisting of 15 minutes of physical exercise on a cycle ergometer, referred to here as conventional exercise.

After the initial 10 interventions,there will be a 1-week washout period and the groups will switch exercises. Heart rate and respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, systemic blood pressure, laboratory tests, as well as the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form questionnaire, the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventory, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire will be assessed in all groups.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

24

Phase

  • 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 Locations

      • São Paulo, Brazil, 04.023-900
        • Comitê de Etica da Universidade Federal de São Paulo

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with diagnosed chronic renal insufficiency requiring hemodialysis at any classification level.
  • Age over 18 years.
  • Possession of medical clearance for participating in physical exercise.
  • Ability for lower limb movement without affecting dialysis treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute use of medications that affect the cardiovascular system and/or alter the function of the nervous system, unless they are part of the disease treatment protocol and are part of the patient's routine.
  • Reports of persistent pain and fatigue arising after the start of exercise training.
  • Changes in the type of renal treatment during the protocol application period.
  • Absence from three consecutive exercise training sessions.

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: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A - Intervention with Virtual Reality (VR)
Group of people with kidney disease that enrolled the intervention with VR during hemodialysis.
Group of people with kidney disease that performed VR intervention during hemodialysis.
Active Comparator: Group B - Intervention with Stationary Bike (SB)
Group of people with kidney disease that enrolled the intervention with SB during hemodialysis.
Group of people with kidney disease that performed SB intervention during hemodialysis.
Experimental: Group A - Intervention with Stationary Bike (SB) - Crossover
Group of people with kidney disease that enrolled the intervention with SB during hemodialysis, after the period of washout.
Group of people with kidney disease that performed SB intervention during hemodialysis after the washout period.
Active Comparator: Group B - Intervention with Virtual Reality (VR) - Crossover
Group of people with kidney disease that enrolled the intervention with VR during hemodialysis, after the period of washout.
Group of people with kidney disease that performed VR intervention during hemodialysis after the washout period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Heart Rate Variability behavior during interventions with Virtual Reality and Stationary Bike while in hemodialysis.
Time Frame: 4 days
Measurements made by heart rate variability indices, using both linear and non-linear measurements, using a chest trap that captures the R-R intervals in milliseconds.
4 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Blood pressure during interventions with Virtual Reality and Stationary Bike while in hemodialysis
Time Frame: 20 days
Measurements made by blood pressure in mmHg
20 days
Heart rate during interventions with Virtual Reality and Stationary Bike while in hemodialysis
Time Frame: 20 days
Measurements made by heart rate in beats per minute.
20 days
Respiratory rate during interventions with Virtual Reality and Stationary Bike while in hemodialysis
Time Frame: 20 days
Measurements made by respiratory rate in incursions per minute.
20 days
Oxygen saturation during interventions with Virtual Reality and Stationary Bike while in hemodialysis
Time Frame: 20 days
Measurements made by oxygen saturation in percentage.
20 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Talita D Silva, PhD, Federal University of Sao Paulo

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)

September 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 29, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

September 14, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 27, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2025

Last Verified

June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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