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The SMARTEX Heart Failure Study

Study of Myocardial Recovery After Exercise Training in Heart Failure

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00917046
Acronym
SMARTEX
Enrollment
261
Registered
2009-06-10
Start date
2009-01-31
Completion date
2014-07-31
Last updated
2019-11-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Heart Failure

Keywords

All-cause heart failure patients, coronary artery disease etiology, dilated cardiomyopathy etiology

Brief summary

This protocol describes a randomized multicenter clinical trial designed to test the hypothesis that a 12-week program of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) yields larger beneficial effects in stable heart failure patients than current practice, defined as either a similar training program with the same volume of moderate continuous training (MCT) or a recommendation of regular exercise at moderate intensity at individual choice (RRE).

Detailed description

Evaluation criteria are left ventricular dimensions and function measured by echocardiography, aerobic capacity measured as peak oxygen uptake, quality of life, and the level of physical activity by questionnaires. Assessments will be made before and after the training program and at one year follow-up. Safety of HIIT will be assessed as incidence of adverse effects during the training program. Clinical events will be recorded as worsening of heart failure requiring intensified drug therapy (diuretics), ventricular arrhythmia, hospitalization due to cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality at one year follow-up. The core study has been initiated and endorsed by the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Section for Basic and Translational Research, under the European Society of Cardiology, and allows for sub-studies involving one or more of the participating centers. Preliminary calculations suggest that a total number of 200 patients randomized 1:1:1 to the three intervention groups is needed to detect larger beneficial effects with HIIT with a p-value of 0.05 and statistical power of 0.90 (primary endpoint is reverse remodeling, assessed by comparison between groups of change in left ventricular end-diastolic dimension from baseline to 12 weeks).

Interventions

BEHAVIORALhigh-intensity interval training

3 weekly sessions of high-intensity interval training in 12 weeks

3 weekly sessions of moderate continuous training for 12 weeks

BEHAVIORALRecommendation of regular moderate exercise

Recommendation of regular exercise at moderate intensity at individual choice. In addition patients will meet for treadmill walking in order to motivate for post intervention testing

Sponsors

University Hospital, Antwerp
CollaboratorOTHER
UMC Utrecht
CollaboratorOTHER
Technical University of Munich
CollaboratorOTHER
Heart Center Leipzig - University Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
Bispebjerg Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
St. Olavs Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
Helse Stavanger HF
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
Scientific Institute of Veruno
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Centre Hospitalier du Luxembourg
CollaboratorOTHER
Alesund Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER
Helse Nord-Trøndelag HF
CollaboratorOTHER
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Congestive heart failure after myocardial infarction or dilated cardiomyopathy with: * LVEF \< 0.35, * NYHA class II - III, * Stable without any signs of worsening for at least 6 weeks, * Minimum 3 months of optimal medical treatment, * Previous revascularisation or CRT should be more than 6 months before inclusion.

Exclusion criteria

* Significant intercurrent illness last 6 weeks, * Known severe ventricular arrhythmia with functional or prognostic significance unless protected with ICD, * Significant ischemia, * Hemodynamic deterioration or exercise-induced arrhythmia at baseline testing, * Other heart disease that limits exercise tolerance (valve disease with significant hemodynamic consequences, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy etc., * Co-morbidity that may significantly influence one-year prognosis, * Functional or mental disability that may limit exercise, * Patients scheduled for heart transplant at time of inclusion, * A habit of regular vigorous exercise or participation in a program of exercise training less than 6 months before inclusion, or participation in another clinical trial, * Patients with COPD with FEV1 below 50% of expected values are excluded, * Patients taking oral corticosteroids are excluded in all cases.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
comparison between groups in change of left ventricular end diastolic diameter from baseline to 12 weeksBaseline-12 weeks

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Exercise capacitybaseline-12 weeks- 1year
quality of lifebaseline - 12 weeks - 1 year
level of physical activitybaseline-12 weeks- 1 year
safety and adverse eventsbaseline-12 weeks - 1 year
Change in Ejection fraction12 weeks

Countries

Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 27, 2026