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Can a phone therapy boost recovery after a heart attack?

NCT ID NCT04877197

Symptom relief Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 8 times

Summary

This study tests whether a type of talk therapy called Behavioral Activation, delivered via home-based telehealth, can improve social functioning and mood in veterans recently discharged from the hospital for a heart condition. About 132 veterans with depression will receive either 12 weekly therapy sessions or standard post-discharge care. The goal is to see if the therapy helps them get back to daily activities and reduces the chance of being readmitted to the hospital.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Behavioral Activation therapy delivered via home-based telehealth
What this could lead to
If it works, this could provide an effective way to help heart patients recover social and daily functioning and reduce depression without medication.
What could go wrong
This is a relatively small trial (132 participants) focused on veterans, so results may not apply to everyone. The therapy requires active participation and may not work for all.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 132 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jan 2022

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

21 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Having experienced one of the ICD 10 I20-I25 CVD events: * 120 unstable angina * stable angina * 121 NSTEMI * STEMI * initial encounter * 122 NSTEMI * STEMI * subsequent encounter * 124 acute coronary syndrome * 125 coronary arteriosclerosis with angina and/or * Valve repair, valve replacement, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI/TAVR), Pacemaker Implantation in the past 6 months, Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) in the past 6 months; Left Ventricular Assist Device in the past 6 months; Ablation Therapy; Watchman Implant; and * Discharged from the RHJ VAMC inpatient care facilities * Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder on the basis of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM 5 (First, Williams, Karg, \& Spitzer, 2015) Exclusion Criteria: * Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) * Having a household member who is already enrolled in the study * Active psychosis or significant dementia at screening * Suicidal ideation with clear intent * Current alcohol use disorder rated severe * Concurrent enrollment in another clinical trial for depression

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cardiovascular disorder Depression depressive disorder major depressive disorder Psychological Well-Being

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cardiovascular diseases Depression

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC

    RECRUITING

    Charleston, South Carolina, 29401-5703, United States

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