Exercise-based Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Aortic Stenosis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)

August 9, 2024 updated by: Vastra Gotaland Region

Effect of Physiotherapist-led Exercise-based Cardiac Rehabilitation in Older Patients With Aortic Stenosis Who Have Undergone TAVI?

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the most common valve disease among older individuals. In symptomatic AS, mortality is high, and the only treatment that improves prognosis and survival is transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). TAVI is a growing treatment in Sweden, allowing previously inoperable older patients with AS, who are often frail and have comorbidities, to receive intervention. This results in the need for postoperative cardiac rehabilitation for patients treated with TAVI. Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the effect of physiotherapist-led exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (PT-X) after TAVI have shown that participation in PT-X can improve physical fitness (the highest measured oxygen uptake (VO2peak)), walking distance, walking speed, and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). However, the included studies are limited, and there is selection bias, resulting in low evidence. Therefore, access to PT-X is currently almost non-existent in Sweden. As more patients undergo TAVI, it is crucial to investigate whether PT-X after TAVI can further improve physical fitness, HR-QoL, and reduce hospital admissions in older individuals with AS.

Objective: Primary, to investigate whether participation in PT-X after TAVI can impact physical fitness, physical activity level, and health-related quality of life. Secondary, to study the prevalence of frailty and the number of hospital admissions during the first postoperative year after TAVI.

Expected outcome: If patients with AS who have undergone TAVI can improve physical fitness, it could potentially strengthen the evidence and optimize the patient's physical capabilities. Increased access to PT-X and awareness of frailty in these patients could reduce the risk of falls and possibly the number of hospital readmissions. This would decrease healthcare consumption and improve the patient's quality of life.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the most common valve disease with the highest prevalence in older individuals. Healthcare is unequal, with women receiving specialist care and interventions less frequently than men. They also receive the diagnosis later, and mortality rates are higher. AS develops over time, and in the presence of symptomatic AS such as angina pectoris, syncope, and heart failure, the prognosis is poor, and mortality is high. If untreated, AS is a disease with a 2-year relative mortality risk of 50%. In older patients at high risk with symptomatic AS, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the only medical treatment that improves prognosis and survival.

Since 2008, TAVI has been performed in Sweden as a standard treatment with priority 3 in the the recommendations given by the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden. The number of TAVI procedures in Sweden is steadily increasing and now exceeds isolated open aortic valve surgery. This development allows patients with severe symptoms and high risk, who were previously inoperable, to undergo valve intervention.

Frailty is a condition where at least three of the following criteria should be met: involuntary weight loss, self-reported fatigue, sarcopenia, reduced physical capacity, slow walking speed, and low physical activity level. Studies show that 50-70% of those undergoing TAVI due to AS are defined as frail elderly individuals with comorbidities such as heart failure and renal failure. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated an increased risk of falls and difficulty participating in daily activities due to reduced peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), short walking distance, lower walking speed, and impaired Health Related Quality of Life (HR-QoL). It is well-established that a low VO2peak correlates with increased risk of premature death in both healthy individuals and those with chronic disease (19). Moreover, there is a strong correlation between a short walking distance and prognosis in patients with chronic diseases.

Since patients with AS already have reduced physical fitness preoperatively, a prolonged recovery time is usually observed postoperatively. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the effect of physiotherapist-led exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (PT-X) after TAVI have shown that participation in PT-X can improve VO2peak, walking distance, walking speed, and HR-QoL. However, the included studies are few and exhibit varying study quality, leading to selection bias. Despite this, the opportunity to participate in PT-X after TAVI is virtually non-existent in Sweden due to low evidence, and national and international cardiac care guidelines do not mention the possibility of PT-X after TAVI.

This has resulted in patients who have undergone TAVI not being recommended PT-X as part of their medical treatment, unlike conditions such as heart failure and ischemic heart disease, which have high priority and high evidence. As more patients undergo TAVI, it is of utmost importance to investigate whether PT-X after TAVI can further improve physical capacity, quality of life, and reduce hospital admissions.

Objective: Primary, to investigate whether participation in PT-X after TAVI can impact physical fitness, physical activity level, and health-related quality of life. Secondary, to study the prevalence of frailty and the number of hospital admissions during the first postoperative year after TAVI.

How will participation in PT-X impact exercise capacity compared to the control group that is allowed to continue with their usual life? How will participation in PT-X impact the muscle function compared to the control group that is allowed to continue with their usual life? How will participation in PT-X impact the patients physical activity level compared to the control group that is allowed to continue with their usual life? How will participation in PT-X impact HR-QoL compared to the control group that is allowed to continue with their usual life?

Secondary Research Questions:

What is the prevalence of frailty in the study population that has undergone 12 weeks of PT-X compared to the control group? What is the incidence of hospital admissions in patients who have undergone 12 weeks of PT-X compared to the control group?

Method:

Study Population: Patients, 65 years or older, with AS who have undergone TAVI and are being followed-up at SV Alingsas Hospital will be invited to participate in an intervention study. The control group consists of matched controls based on age, gender, and exercise capacity in watts, followed up at Sahlgrenska University hospital in Gothenburg. Patients in the control group will be approached for participation by a research nurse from Sahlgrenska Universityhospital. All patients will be informed verbally and in writing, and informed consent will be obtained. The study follows the Helsinki Declaration,

Data Analysis and statistical power:

Ratio and interval data will be presented as mean ± 1 standard deviation, ordinal data as median and interquartile range, and nominal data in absolute and relative numbers.

Depending on normal distribution, Student's T-test or Mann-Whitney's U-test will be used to examine differences between groups.

Paired T-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test will highlight within-group differences, and Chi-square test will study differences in nominal data.

Multiple regression will be used to study the relationship between group membership and the primary outcome measure, work capacity in watts.

Statistical power was calculated with an 80% power (β) to detect a statistically significant difference (α) at 5%. For the training group to achieve a significant (p=0.05) improvement of 10 watts in work capacity compared to the control group, 56 individuals must be included in each group. Considering a potential dropout of approximately 20%, a total of 135 individuals will be included in the study.

Expected Result / Clinical Significance:

If patients with AS who have undergone TAVI can improve physical fitness, it could potentially strengthen the evidence and optimize the patient's physical fitness.

Increased access to PT-X and awareness of frailty in these patients could reduce the risk of falls and possibly the number of hospital readmissions, leading to reduced healthcare consumption and increased quality of life for the patient.

Gender Perspective of the Project:

The study will include both men and women to achieve groups as similar as possible regarding gender, age, and exercise capacity in watts.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

135

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 Contact

Study Locations

      • Alingsås, Sweden, 41346
        • Recruiting
        • SV Hospital group Alingsås hospital
        • Contact:

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

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aortic stenosis treated with TAVI.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who, due to another disability, cannot perform the study protocol for physical fitness, PT-X, or complete the questionnaires included in the study.

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: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Physiotherapist-led exercise based cardiac rehabilitation (PT-X)
PT-X consists of centralcirculatory aerobic exercise and muscular endurance training in an existing PT-X group at Alingsas Hospital in Sweden. The patients will follow an individually tailored exercise program, twice a week for 60 minutes each session over 12 weeks. The physiotherapist guides and progresses the program based on the patient's exercise capacity throughout the intervention. Additionally, two sessions of home-based exercise will be added and recorded in an exercise diary. The exercise programs are prescribed after the patient's individual exercise capacity, with perceived exertion graded 13-17 on Borg's 6-20 scale.
Individually prescribed centralcirculatory aerobic exercise and muscular endurance training twice a week for 60 minutes each session over 12 weeks in a hospital-based setting, and two sessions of home-based exercise recorded in an exercise diary.
No Intervention: Control group
The patient will continue with their usual activities during the control period

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Exercise capacity in watt
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Exercise capacity will be measured by a symptom-limited ergometer cycle test based on World Health Organization (WHO) protocol, monitored with electrocardiogram (ECG), bloodpressure and heartrate.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Rating of perceived exertion Borg RPE scale 6-20
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE scale 6-20) are recorded. The cycle test concludes when the person reaches an exertion level of 17 on Borg's scale.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Exercise capacity in Watt
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Exercise capacity will be measured by a symptom-limited ergometer cycle test based on World Health Organization (WHO) protocol, monitored with electrocardiogram (ECG), bloodpressure and heartrate.
12 months after the intervention completion.
Rating of perceived exertion Borg RPE scale 6-20
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE scale 6-20) are recorded. The cycle test concludes when the person reaches an exertion level of 17 on Borg's scale.
12 months after the intervention completion.
Muscular endurance test, shoulder flexion
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
A unilateral isoinertial shoulder flexion test assessed with the patient sitting on a stool with their back touching the wall holding a dumbbell in their hand, 2 kg for women and 3 kg for men. The tested arm is elevated to 90º flexion and the arm not tested is placed in the patient's knee. A pace of 40 beats per min is kept by a digital metronome.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Muscular endurance test, shoulder flexion
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
A unilateral isoinertial shoulder flexion test assessed with the patient sitting on a stool with their back touching the wall holding a dumbbell in their hand, 2 kg for women and 3 kg for men. The tested arm is elevated to 90º flexion and the arm not tested is placed in the patient's knee. A pace of 40 beats per min is kept by a digital metronome.
12 months after the intervention completion.
Muscle endurance test, shoulder abduction
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Bilateral isometric shoulder abduction is assessed with the patient holding a 1 kg dumbbell in each hand using the same body position as above. The patient is asked to elevate both arms to 90°of shoulder abduction and to maintain this position as long as possible (measured in s).
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Muscle endurance test, shoulder abduction
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Bilateral isometric shoulder abduction is assessed with the patient holding a 1 kg dumbbell in each hand using the same body position as above. The patient is asked to elevate both arms to 90°of shoulder abduction and to maintain this position as long as possible (measured in s).
12 months after the intervention completion.
Muscle endurance test, unilateral heel-lift
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Unilateral isoinertial heel-lift is assessed with the patients performing as many unilateral heel-lifts as possible, with a straight knee, on a 10° tilted wedge, with shoes on. A pace of 60 beats per minutes is kept is kept by a metronome.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Muscle endurance test, unilateral heel-lift
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Unilateral isoinertial heel-lift is assessed with the patients performing as many unilateral heel-lifts as possible, with a straight knee, on a 10° tilted wedge, with shoes on. A pace of 60 beats per minutes is kept is kept by a metronome.
12 months after the intervention completion.
Lower extremity function
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Swedish version of Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB-S) is used to measure lower extremity function in older individuals. The scale consists of three domains, maximal points 12, lower scores indicates greater limitations.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Lower extremity function
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Swedish version of Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB-S) is used to measure lower extremity function in older individuals.The scale consists of three domains, maximal points 12, lower scores indicates greater limitations.
12 months after the intervention completion.
Physical activity
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Measured using an accelerometer (Actigraph® GT3x+, Actigraph, Pensacola, Florida, USA) placed on the right hip, worn continuously for seven consecutive days, excluding showering or swimming.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Physical activity
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Measured using an accelerometer with Actigraph® GT3x+ accelerometer placed on the right hip, worn continuously for seven consecutive days, excluding showering or swimming.
12 months after the intervention completion.
Self-assessed level of physical activity
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Self-assessed level of physical activity is measured using the short form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Self-assessed level of physical activity
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Self-assessed level of physical activity is measured using the short form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
12 months after the intervention completion.
Health Related Quality of Life
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Swedish version of RAND 36 is employed to measure health-related quality of life.The scale consists of eight subscales. Subscale scores ranges from 0-100, higher value represent better health status.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Health Related Quality of Life
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Swedish version of RAND 36 is employed to measure health-related quality of life.The scale consists of eight subscales. Subscale scores ranges from 0-100, higher value represent better health status.
12 months after the intervention completion.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Frailty
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Frailty is evaluated using the Swedish version of Clinical Frailty Scale.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Frailty
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Frailty is evaluated using the Swedish version of Clinical Frailty Scale.
12 months after the intervention completion.
Hospital admission
Time Frame: Baseline, after 12 weeks
Information about the number of hospital admissions after surgery will be obtained from respective hospitals.
Baseline, after 12 weeks
Hospital admission
Time Frame: 12 months after the intervention completion.
Information about the number of hospital admissions after surgery will be obtained from respective hospitals.
12 months after the intervention completion.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Maria C Borland, PhD RPT, SV Hospital group Alingsås hospital, Alingsås, Sweden

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

July 29, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 6, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

February 28, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 9, 2024

Last Verified

August 1, 2024

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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Clinical Trials on Physiotherapist-led exercise based cardiac rehabilitation (PT-X)

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