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Muscle Blood Flow Regulation in HFpEF

Mechanisms of Impaired Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow and Exercise Intolerance in Veterans With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Efficacy of Knee Extensor Training

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
18 Years and older
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.

Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study looks at why people with HFpEF have low blood flow to their muscles and trouble exercising. HFpEF is heart failure in which the heart still pumps out a normal share of blood. The study compares people with HFpEF with healthy people and checks changes after 8 weeks of exercise training in the HFpEF group only.

Heart failure with preserved ejection (HFpEF) disproportionately affects Veterans and is the number one reason for hospital discharge in the VA Health Care System. Exercise intolerance is a common complication experienced by patients with HFpEF, perpetuating physical inactivity and accelerating disease progression. This research proposal aims to elucidate mechanisms responsible for inadequate skeletal muscle blood flow and exercise intolerance in patients with HFpEF compared with healthy controls as well as following 8 weeks of exercise training in patients with HFpEF only.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Age 18 or older and able to give written consent to join.
  • NYHA class II or III heart failure: symptoms limit everyday activity, but you are comfortable at rest.
  • The heart’s main pumping chamber pumps out more than 50% of its blood with each beat.
  • At enrollment, a blood test shows BNP above 200 pg/mL or NT-proBNP of 400 pg/mL. These are markers of strain on the heart.

Who can't join

  • The heart previously pumped out less than 50% of its blood with each beat.
  • Heart failure causes symptoms at rest or cannot be made stable with the best available medicines.
  • A sudden problem with blood flow to the heart, a disease that causes substances to build up in heart muscle, or heart muscle swelling.
  • HFpEF caused by a major heart valve problem that has not been fixed. A leaky mitral valve caused by poor function of the heart’s main pumping chamber is an exception.
  • Bone, joint, or muscle problems that prevent knee-straightening exercises.
  • Women currently taking hormone replacement therapy, because it directly affects blood vessels.
  • Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.
  • Current smoking.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older and able to give written informed consent * New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II or III * Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) \> 50% * Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) \>200 pg/mL or NT-proBNP 400 pg/mL at enrollment Exclusion Criteria: * Prior EF of \<50%. * NYHA Class IV or HF that cannot be stabilized on optimized pharmacotherapy * Acute coronary syndrome, infiltrative cardiomyopathy, or myocarditis * Patients with HFpEF secondary to significant uncorrected primary valvular disease (except mitral regurgitation secondary to left ventricular dysfunction) * Orthopedic limitations that would prohibit knee-extensor exercise * Women currently taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will be excluded from the proposed studies due to the direct vascular effects of HRT * Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, but the typical age of female patients with HFpEF will be postmenopausal * Current smokers

Study sites (1)

UT