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Pre-operative Rehabilitation for Reduction of Hospitalization After Coronary Bypass and Valvular Surgery.

Pre-operative Rehabilitation for Reduction of Hospitalization After Coronary Bypass and Valvular Surgery.

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02219815
Acronym
PREHAB
Enrollment
89
Registered
2014-08-19
Start date
2015-04-30
Completion date
2018-06-30
Last updated
2024-10-29

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

Conditions

Patients Waiting for Aortic Valve Repair or Replacement, Patients Waiting for Combined Procedures. (CAGB and Valve), Patients Waiting for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery, Patients Waiting for Mitral Valve Repair or Replacement

Keywords

Preoperative Care, Exercise Therapy, Cardiac Surgery, Frailty

Brief summary

The PREHAB study is a clinical trial where frail patients waiting for heart surgery are randomly chosen to either receive the current standard of care or to participate in an 8-week exercise/education program at a community-based cardiac rehabilitation facility. Patients can wait for elective heart surgery for as long as 3-4 months. During this time, individuals are often fearful of making things worse, causing them to stop being active and further deteriorate their physical condition. This wait period presents a potential opportunity for health care providers to engage the patient to take control of their self-managed care prior to surgery with the intent of improving post-surgical outcomes. Patients randomized to the PREHAB intervention group will participate in supervised exercise twice per week in a program designed to improve physical functioning and exercise capacity. The investigators hypothesize that the PREHAB program for frail elderly patients awaiting an elective cardiac surgery will reduce frailty, improve exercise capacity, improve physical activity behaviour, improve in-hospital outcomes, improve clinical outcomes 3 months and 1 year postoperatively, and improve overall quality of life.

Detailed description

PREHAB will be a three centre prospective, randomized, open, blinded endpoint (PROBE) controlled trial using assessor blinding and intention-to-treat analysis. The study will be conducted at three academic, tertiary care hospitals (St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Montreal Heart Institute. Montreal QC and Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS) and one non-academic hospital (Saint John Regional Health Centre, Saint John, NB) that perform cardiac surgery. These sites were chosen based on similar patient populations and surgical waitlist times. Additionally, each of these sites are partnered with one or more community-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) centres, which are certified medical fitness facilities dedicated to improving the health of the community through health promotion, disease prevention and rehabilitation services. These facilities offer expert guidance from certified professionals, innovative health enhancement programs, and provide integrated medical, rehabilitative and fitness services. The investigators intend to recruit a total of 244 participants to the study (122 per study arm), anticipating a 20% dropout rate to achieve an eventual sample size of 194 participants. Patients in the PREHAB group will receive, in addition to standard of care, an eight-week comprehensive exercise therapy and education program at a community-based CR facility. This program will target both the physical and psycho-social-cognitive aspects of cardiac disease and frailty. In brief, participants will be required to complete an intake health status assessment by the CR team including a physiotherapist, cardiovascular nurse, and dietitian and complete a symptom-limited graded exercise stress test according to the American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription 7th Edition. Patients will be asked to complete at least two sessions of supervised, structured exercise class plus have the option to attend one additional exercise class per week for eight-weeks, with progression to a moderate to high-intensity interval program based on the supervised assessment of the patient's capabilities. This has been shown to be safe and effective in unrepaired heart failure and elderly patients. PREHAB participants will also attend four education sessions on topics such as risk factor reduction, medication use, cardiovascular physiology, smoking cessation, healthy eating, exercise, and stress management and promotion of self-managed care.

Interventions

Pre-operative, structured exercise intervention.

Sponsors

St. Boniface Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Patients aged 60 years and older, undergoing elective isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve repair/replacement for moderate aortic stenosis or severe regurgitation, mitral valve repair/replacement for moderate stenosis or severe regurgitation or combined CABG/valve procedures * Patients with Clinical Frailty Score (CFS) ≥3 (vulnerable) and \< 7 (8 = very severely frail, approaching end-of-life or 9 = terminally ill) at time of acceptance for cardiac surgery * Patients with an estimated ≥ 6 week wait time

Exclusion criteria

* Patients who have unstable or recent unstable cardiac syndrome as defined by: 1. Severe heart failure (NYHA IV) or angina (CCS class IV) symptoms 2. Critical left main (LM) coronary disease 3. Hospitalization for arrhythmias, congestive heart failure or acute coronary syndrome prior to randomization * Patients who have severe left ventricular obstructive disease as defined by: 1. Severe aortic or mitral stenosis (aortic or mitral valve area \<1.0cm2 or mean gradient \> 40 mmHg or \> 10 mmHg respectively) 2. Dynamic left ventricular (LV) outflow obstruction * Patients who have demonstrated exercise induced ventricular arrhythmias or have experienced a recent hospitalization for arrhythmias * Patients who have cognitive deficits that would preclude rehabilitation * Patients who have physical limitations that would preclude rehabilitation * Patients who are unable to attend the Prehab program

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Proportion of Patients With Hospital Length of Stay Greater Than 7 Days.Post-surgery (approximately 9 weeks after baseline)Proportion of patients with hospital length of stay greater than 7 days compared to those with less than 7 days

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Preoperative Exercise CapacityPre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.
3-Month Exercise Capacity3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.
1-Year Exercise Capacity1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.
Baseline Physical Activity Behaviourbaseline assessment - Study entryThis measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared
Preoperative Physical Activity BehaviourPre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)This measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared
3-Month Physical Activity Behaviour3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared
1-Year Physical Activity Behaviour1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared
Baseline Health-Related Quality of Lifebaseline assessment - Study entryThis measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health
Preoperatve Health-Related Quality of LifePre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)This measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health
3-Month Health-Related Quality of Life3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health
1-Year Health-Related Quality of Life1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health
Baseline Frailtybaseline assessment - Study entryThis measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria score Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail
Baseline Exercise Capacitybaseline assessment - Study entryThis measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.
3-Month Frailty3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria score Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail
1-Year Frailty1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail
Baseline AnxietyBaseline Assessment - Study entryThis measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed
Preoperative AnxietyPre-Surgery Assessment (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed
3-Month Anxiety3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed
1-Year Anxiety1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed
Baseline DepressionBaseline Assessment - Study entryThis measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression
Preoperative DepressionPre-surgery Assessment ( 8 weeks after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression
3-Month Depression3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression
1 Year Depression1 year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression
Postoperative Major Adverse EventsPost-Surgery (approximately 9 weeks after baseline)Major adverse events include death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or renal failure requiring dialysis.
Postoperative Cardiac Rehabilitation AttendancePost-Surgery (approximately 20 weeks after baseline)Will be assessed using administrative data from participating cardiac rehabilitation facilities.
Preoperative FrailtyPre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)This measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria score Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail

Countries

Canada

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Standard Care
Patients in the standard care group will receive care as is currently delivered to patients awaiting cardiac surgery at each site. At present, patients are advised to rest and participate in very light intensity physical activity while awaiting surgery. At 1-2 weeks prior to their scheduled surgical date, the patient attends a single three hour cardiac pre-assessment with a nurse practitioner and cardiac anesthesiologist. In addition, a cardiac nurse counsels each patient on healthy behaviors (e.g. smoking cessation, diet, exercise).
42
Prehab Intervention
Patients in the Prehab group will receive, in addition to the standard of care, an eight-week comprehensive exercise therapy and education program at a community-based CR facility. Patients will be asked to complete at least two sessions of supervised, structured exercise class plus have the option to attend one additional exercise class per week for eight-weeks, with progression to a moderate to high-intensity interval program based on the supervised assessment of the patient's capabilities. Prehab participants will also attend four education sessions on topics such as risk factor reduction, medication use, cardiovascular physiology, smoking cessation, healthy eating, exercise, and stress management and promotion of self-managed care. Prehab Intervention: Pre-operative, structured exercise intervention.
39
Total81

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPrehab InterventionTotalStandard Care
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
35 Participants66 Participants31 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
4 Participants15 Participants11 Participants
Age, Continuous71.4 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.4
70.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.9
69.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.2
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected0 Participants
Region of Enrollment
Canada
39 participants81 participants42 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
5 Participants16 Participants11 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
34 Participants65 Participants31 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 420 / 39
other
Total, other adverse events
8 / 423 / 39
serious
Total, serious adverse events
2 / 421 / 39

Outcome results

Primary

Proportion of Patients With Hospital Length of Stay Greater Than 7 Days.

Proportion of patients with hospital length of stay greater than 7 days compared to those with less than 7 days

Time frame: Post-surgery (approximately 9 weeks after baseline)

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Standard CareProportion of Patients With Hospital Length of Stay Greater Than 7 Days.20 Participants
Prehab InterventionProportion of Patients With Hospital Length of Stay Greater Than 7 Days.16 Participants
Secondary

1-Year Anxiety

This measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed

Time frame: 1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)

Secondary

1 Year Depression

This measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression

Time frame: 1 year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)

Secondary

1-Year Exercise Capacity

This measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.

Time frame: 1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)

Secondary

1-Year Frailty

This measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail

Time frame: 1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)

Secondary

1-Year Health-Related Quality of Life

This measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health

Time frame: 1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)

Secondary

1-Year Physical Activity Behaviour

This measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared

Time frame: 1 Year Post-Surgery (approximately 14 months after baseline)

Secondary

3-Month Anxiety

This measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed

Time frame: 3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)

Secondary

3-Month Depression

This measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression

Time frame: 3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)

Secondary

3-Month Exercise Capacity

This measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.

Time frame: 3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)

Secondary

3-Month Frailty

This measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria score Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail

Time frame: 3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)

Secondary

3-Month Health-Related Quality of Life

This measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health

Time frame: 3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)

Secondary

3-Month Physical Activity Behaviour

This measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared

Time frame: 3 Months Post-Surgery (approximately 5 months after baseline)

Secondary

Baseline Anxiety

This measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed

Time frame: Baseline Assessment - Study entry

Secondary

Baseline Depression

This measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression

Time frame: Baseline Assessment - Study entry

Secondary

Baseline Exercise Capacity

This measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.

Time frame: baseline assessment - Study entry

Secondary

Baseline Frailty

This measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria score Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail

Time frame: baseline assessment - Study entry

Secondary

Baseline Health-Related Quality of Life

This measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health

Time frame: baseline assessment - Study entry

Secondary

Baseline Physical Activity Behaviour

This measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared

Time frame: baseline assessment - Study entry

Secondary

Postoperative Cardiac Rehabilitation Attendance

Will be assessed using administrative data from participating cardiac rehabilitation facilities.

Time frame: Post-Surgery (approximately 20 weeks after baseline)

Secondary

Postoperative Major Adverse Events

Major adverse events include death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or renal failure requiring dialysis.

Time frame: Post-Surgery (approximately 9 weeks after baseline)

Secondary

Preoperative Anxiety

This measure will be assessed using the General Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) Score is out of 0-21 points. The higher the score the more symptoms of anxiety may be observed

Time frame: Pre-Surgery Assessment (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)

Secondary

Preoperative Depression

This measure will be assessed using the Five-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) Score is based from 0-5. A score of 2 or more may indicated symptoms of depression

Time frame: Pre-surgery Assessment ( 8 weeks after baseline)

Secondary

Preoperative Exercise Capacity

This measure will be assessed using the results of a 6 minute walk test.

Time frame: Pre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)

Secondary

Preoperative Frailty

This measure will be assessed using the Modified Fried Criteria score Score ranges from 0 - 5, 0=not frail, 1=prefrail, 2-5=frail

Time frame: Pre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)

Secondary

Preoperative Physical Activity Behaviour

This measure will be assessed objectively using accelerometers. Moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will be compared

Time frame: Pre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)

Secondary

Preoperatve Health-Related Quality of Life

This measure will be assessed using EuroQual-Visual Analogue Scale. (EQ-VAS) This scale ranges from 0 - 100 with 0 = worst health and 100 = best health

Time frame: Pre-Surgery (approximately 8 weeks after baseline)

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 9, 2026