Intravenous (IV) Saline and Exercise in Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Intravenous Saline on Exercise Tolerance in Orthostatic Intolerance

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01000350

Enrollment

Registered

2009-10-23

Start date

2009-10-31

Completion date

2028-06-30

Last updated

2025-10-08

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

Conditions

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Keywords

orthostatic intolerance, exercise capacity, tachycardia, POTS

Brief summary

The investigators will test whether an intravenous infusion of saline (salt water) will improve the exercise capacity in patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

Interventions

DRUGSaline

IV Normal Saline infused over 30-60 minutes given 3-6 hours PRIOR to exercise study

OTHERPlacebo

Placebo x1 lactose tablet

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Meet diagnostic criteria of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) 28 * Age between 18-65 years * Male and female are eligible (although the majority of POTS patients are female). * Able and willing to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* Presence of medical conditions that can explain postural tachycardia (e.g., acute dehydration, medications) * Pregnancy * Other factors which in the investigator's opinion would prevent the subject from completing the protocol. * Patients who are bedridden or chair-ridden

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Difference in VO2max between saline day and placebo day	Within 2 week	VO2max will be measured hours after saline and after placebo. The 2 interventions will be less than 2 weeks apart.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Exercise capacity/Maximal Load (Watts) during peak VO2	Less than 2 weeks	Maximal exercise load will be measured hours after saline and after placebo. The 2 interventions will be less than 2 weeks apart.
Cardiac output between exercise tests (inert gas rebreathing technique)	2-10 Days between exercise tests	—

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026