Could eccentric exercise be the key to stronger hearts?
NCT ID NCT07636343
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether a special type of exercise called eccentric training (where muscles lengthen under tension) can help people with heart failure and reduced pumping ability. Researchers will compare eccentric bike and strength training to standard cardio and strength exercises. The goal is to see if the new approach is safe, doable, and better at improving muscle strength and walking ability.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- eccentric bike training and eccentric overload strength training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a more effective exercise option for heart failure patients to improve muscle strength and daily function.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study (only 3 participants) testing feasibility, so results may not apply widely. The training is also physically demanding, which some patients may not tolerate.
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
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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
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About 3 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * HFrEF patients with ejection fraction \<40% * Exercise intolerance (\<85% of predicted VO2 peak) * clinically stable for \> 6 weeks, optimal medical treatment for \> 6 weeks Exclusion Criteria: * Contra indications for cardiac exercise rehabilitation as per consensus guidelines and recommendations * Musculoskeletal disorders that hamper (progression in) strength training * Non-stabilized acute coronary syndrome * Current acute heart failure (decompensation) * Patient having sustained a recent (\<3 months) procedure that could act as a confounder to increase VO2peak (i.e., coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, cardiac resynchronization therapy, valve surgery or reparation)
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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UHAntwerp
RECRUITINGEdegem, 2850, Belgium
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