Skip to content

Implementation of a Sarcopenia Clinic to Diagnose and Treat Skeletal Muscle Loss Due to COPD

Implementation of a Sarcopenia Clinic to Diagnose and Treat Skeletal Muscle Loss Due to COPD

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07059637
Enrollment
80
Registered
2025-07-11
Start date
2025-10-10
Completion date
2027-12-01
Last updated
2025-10-30

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

Conditions

COPD, Emphysema, Sarcopenia

Keywords

COPD, emphysema, sarcopenia

Brief summary

Sarcopenia, or skeletal muscle loss, impacts up to 40% of COPD patients and is a major cause for morbidity and mortality. Despite the high clinical significance of sarcopenia in COPD, the diagnosis remains elusive because accurate measures of skeletal muscle are not tested during routine clinical care. The goal is to use evidence-based strategies to diagnose and treat sarcopenia due to COPD. The multidisciplinary team includes a pulmonologist, pharmacist, COPD nurse, and COPD coordinator. The investigators anticipate that the approach will improve clinical outcomes for COPD patients with sarcopenia as compared to standard of care visits in ambulatory COPD clinics. The investigators will determine if the approach improves skeletal muscle mass and function, and also improves clinical outcomes related to frequency of hospitalization or ED (Emergency Department) visits, COPD exacerbations, and mortality.

Detailed description

The goal of this study is to determine whether the multidisciplinary sarcopenia clinic improves outcomes compared to standard of care ambulatory COPD clinics. The proposed study will be a prospective observational study. The investigators will compare the sarcopenia clinic with COPD ambulatory clinics and match based on severity of COPD. With informed consent and approval from Cleveland Clinic's IRB, the investigators will enroll patients with spirometry-confirmed COPD and evidence of sarcopenia who were recently admitted to either main campus Cleveland Clinic or regional facilities for a COPD exacerbation. COPD patients will be seen as a hospital follow up appointment in the multidisciplinary sarcopenia clinic or an outpatient ambulatory COPD clinic. Patients will be followed longitudinally for one year. Subject Selection: Recruitment: COPD patients admitted for a COPD exacerbation will be enrolled. Patients who are eligible for the trial will be offered placement in either the multidisciplinary clinic or the standard ambulatory COPD clinics. Our statistical analysis plan will include adjustment for disease severity using regression models, so that the same acuity of disease is being studied across both clinics.

Interventions

OTHERMultidisciplinary clinic evaluation

The goal is to use evidence-based strategies to diagnose and treat sarcopenia due to COPD. The investigators anticipate that the approach will improve clinical outcomes for COPD patients with sarcopenia as compared to standard of care visits in ambulatory COPD clinics. The investigators will determine if the approach improves skeletal muscle mass and function, and also improves clinical outcomes related to frequency of hospitalizations, COPD exacerbations, or mortality. The approach is different than standard of care COPD treatment because it is informed by quantifying muscle mass and strength (through handgrip strength and bio-impedance) and have strong collaborations with nutrition and pulmonary rehabilitation.

OTHERCOPD standard of care

Standard COPD care treatment in an ambulatory post-hospital follow up clinic

Sponsors

The Cleveland Clinic
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

1. COPD exacerbation as the primary cause for inpatient hospitalization OR secondary diagnosis of COPD exacerbation with acute respiratory failure as the primary diagnosis. 2. Patients must have CT (Computed Tomography) imaging performed during their admission and evidence of low skeletal muscle mass determined by CT imaging of the pectoralis muscle 3. Age \> 40 years old. 4. Spirometry diagnosed COPD with FEV1/FVC ratio \<0.70 with at least moderate obstruction (FEV1; forced expiratory volume in 1 second \<80%). 5. Patients must have smoked at least 10 pack years and may be current or former smokers.

Exclusion criteria

1. History of other comorbid lung disease (i.e. interstitial lung disease, asthma). 2. Currently being evaluated or already listed for lung transplant. 3. Active malignancy. 4. Significant comorbid end organ failure defined as congestive heart failure (ejection fraction\<40%), end stage renal disease requiring dialysis, or cirrhosis (based on radiologic imaging).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
MortalityOne year follow upCount
HospitalizationsOne year follow upCount
Number of COPD exacerbationsOne year follow upCount

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Handgrip strengthOne year follow upkg
Skeletal muscle mass by bioelectric impedance analysisOne year follow upkg/m\^2
6-minute walk distanceOne year follow upmeters

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactAmy Attaway, MD
attawaa@ccf.org216-445-2807

Outcome results

None listed

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