Skip to content

Physical Exercise in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease in Hemodialysis (Pehedal-ESKD)

Physical Exercise in Hemodialysis Patients in End Stage Kidney Disease

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07820514
Acronym
Pehedal-ESKD
Enrollment
312
Registered
2026-09-15
Start date
2024-06-01
Completion date
2027-03-01
Last updated
2026-09-15

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

Conditions

Chronic Kidney Disease on Hemodialysis, Physical Exercise Behavior (Liking/Aversion)

Keywords

hemodialysis, intradialytic exercise, aerobic training, resistance training, sarcopenia, quality of life

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether different types of exercise performed during hemodialysis are safe, well tolerated, and beneficial for adults receiving maintenance hemodialysis. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Are aerobic exercise using a cycle ergometer and resistance exercise using elastic bands well tolerated during hemodialysis? * Do these exercise programs improve physical function, body composition, quality of life, and dialysis-related outcomes compared with standard care? Researchers will compare aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and standard hemodialysis care to evaluate differences in tolerance and health outcomes. Participants will: * Be assigned to one of three groups: cycle ergometer exercise, elastic-band resistance exercise, or standard care. * Attend hemodialysis sessions as scheduled. * Complete physical performance and body composition assessments at baseline and after 6 months. * Complete questionnaires about health and quality of life. The results of this study may help identify effective exercise strategies to improve health and well-being in people receiving long-term hemodialysis treatment.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALIntradialytic aerobic exercise using a cycle ergometer

Participants performed supervised intradialytic aerobic exercise using a cycle ergometer during the first 2 hours of hemodialysis sessions. Exercise was conducted three times weekly for a total of 150 minutes per week at moderate intensity (Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion 12-13). Sessions were supervised by exercise professionals and monitored by dialysis nurses to ensure safety and adherence.

BEHAVIORALIntradialytic elastic-band resistance exercise

Participants performed supervised intradialytic resistance exercise using progressive color-coded elastic bands during the first 2 hours of hemodialysis sessions. Training was conducted three times weekly for a total of 150 minutes per week at moderate intensity and targeted both upper and lower limbs. Resistance levels were progressively adjusted according to individual tolerance and proper exercise execution.

Sponsors

Ricerca Nefrocenter
Lead SponsorOTHER
University of Naples
CollaboratorOTHER
Federico II University
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Age ≥18 years. * Receiving maintenance hemodialysis for more than 3 months. * Clinically stable condition. * Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

* Unstable angina. * Uncontrolled hypertension. * Any medical condition judged by the treating nephrologist to contraindicate or make intradialytic exercise unsafe

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Incidence of intradialytic intolerance and hemodynamic instabilityBaseline to 6 monthsExercise tolerability will be evaluated through the incidence of intradialytic intolerance events and the maintenance of hemodynamic stability during hemodialysis sessions. Hemodynamic monitoring will include systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate measured before, during, and after exercise sessions. Clinical signs and symptoms of exercise intolerance, including hypotension, dizziness, muscle cramps, nausea, premature interruption of exercise, or other adverse events occurring during dialysis, will be recorded. Outcomes will be compared among cycle ergometer exercise, elastic-band resistance training, and combined exercise programs to assess the relative tolerability and safety of each intervention.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Maximal workload during cycle ergometer stress testingBaseline to 6 monthsChanges in maximal workload achieved during cycle ergometer stress testing.
Six-minute walk test distanceBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in distance covered during the 6-minute walk test as a measure of functional exercise capacity.
Step-test performanceBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in step-test performance as an indicator of functional mobility and lower-limb performance.
Chair-stand test performanceBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in the number of repetitions completed during the chair-stand test as a measure of lower-limb muscle function.
Handgrip strengthBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in handgrip strength measured using a hand dynamometer.
Weekly exercise timeThroughout the 6-month intervention periodChanges in the total amount of exercise completed per week during the intervention period.
Fat-free mass and fat massBaseline to 6 monthsChanges in fat-free mass and fat mass assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis, both reported as percentage of body weight.
Bone mineral contentBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in bone mineral content assessed by radiofrequency echographic multi-spectrometry (REMS).
Bone mineral status (T-score)Baseline and 6 monthsChanges in T-score as an indicator of bone mineral status.
Appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMMI)Baseline and 6 monthsChanges in appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMMI) as a measure of skeletal muscle mass.
Anthropometric circumferencesBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in upper-limb, lower-limb, and trunk circumferences measured using standardized anthropometric procedures.
Health-related quality of lifeBaseline to 6 monthsChanges in health-related quality of life assessed using the Sarcopenia Quality of Life (SARQoL) questionnaire. The SARQoL questionnaire generates an overall score ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
Medication burdenBaseline to 6 monthsChanges in the number of prescribed medications and antihypertensive drugs between baseline and follow-up.
Dialysis adequacyBaseline to 6 monthsChanges in dialysis adequacy expressed as Kt/V.
Dialysis session durationBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in the duration of the hemodialysis session (min).
Blood flow rateBaseline and 6 monthsChanges in blood flow rate (Qb) during hemodialysis.

Countries

Italy

Contacts

CONTACTErsilia Satta, PhD MD
e.satta@consorzionefrocenter.it+39 3395703091

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 16, 2026