Incline walking may ease COPD breathlessness, new study suggests

NCT ID NCT06749262

What the study statuses mean

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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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at whether walking on an incline is better than walking faster on flat ground for people with COPD. The goal is to find ways to improve exercise programs so patients feel less short of breath. About 54 veterans with COPD will take part, and researchers will measure breathing rate, breathlessness, and walking time.

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 54 people

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

Started

Apr 2026

Expected to finish

Oct 2029

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

45 to 80 years

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: * Veterans from all sex/gender, race, and ethnicity will be recruited * All subjects will undergo post-bronchodilator spirometry and be clinically stable * All subjects must have documented FEV1/FVC ratio of \<0.7, and between 30% to 80% FEV1% predicted * If subjects have non-qualifying spirometry, they will not be screened further * Subjects with qualifying spirometry will be screened further * Potential subjects must have a BMI of less than 35 kg/m2 and must be free from co-morbidities that may affect walking patterns * e.g., peripheral arterial disease, diabetes, low back pain Exclusion Criteria: * Confounding effects such as neurological, musculoskeletal, or metabolic disease * Subjects taking medications that alter mood or metabolic demand will be excluded * All potential subjects must be cleared for participation by a physician after undergoing a cardiopulmonary exercise test * Require an O2 mask during rest or activity

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

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

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

  • Omaha VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE

    RECRUITING

    Omaha, Nebraska, 68105-1850, United States

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