Can exercise and rehab keep older heart failure patients out of the hospital?
NCT ID NCT05525663
First seen Jun 29, 2026 · Last updated Jul 07, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This trial tests whether a structured physical rehabilitation and exercise program can help older adults (age 60+) who have been hospitalized for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Participants will receive a progressive, multi-domain rehab intervention after discharge. The study measures whether the program reduces the combined risk of rehospitalization and death over six months, and whether it helps prevent major mobility disability, such as the inability to walk a short distance.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- physical rehabilitation and exercise training program
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this program could become a standard approach to help older heart failure patients stay out of the hospital and maintain their ability to walk and live independently.
- What could go wrong
- This is a behavioral intervention, not a drug, so results may vary widely. The study is large but still may not show a clear benefit on hospitalizations or survival.
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 880 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
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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60 years and older
- 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: 1. Age \>=60 years old 2. Ejection Fraction \>=45% 3. In the hospital setting \>24 hours for the management of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), or diagnosed with ADHF after being hospitalized for another reason. ADHF will be confirmed by the site physician, and will be defined according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definition of hospitalized heart failure as a combination of symptoms, signs, and HF-specific medical treatments, and requires that all 4 of the following are met: * At least 1 symptom of HF which has worsened from baseline: a. dyspnea at rest or with exertion; b. exertional fatigue; c. orthopnea; d. paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND) * At least 2 of the following signs of HF: a. Pulmonary congestion or edema on physical exam (rales or crackles) or by chest X-ray; b. Elevated jugular venous pressure or central venous pressure \>=10 mm Hg; c. peripheral edema; d. wedge or left ventricular end diastolic pressure \>=15 mmHg; e. rapid weight gain (\>=5 lbs.); f. Increased b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) (\>=100 pg/ml) or N-terminal prohormone BNP (\>=220pg/ml) * Change in medical treatment specifically targeting HF, defined as change in dose or initiation of or augmentation of at least 1 of the following therapies: a. diuretics; b. vasodilators; c. other neurohormonal modulating agents, including angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (with or without neprilysin inhibitor), beta-blockers, aldosterone inhibitors, direct renin inhibitors, or sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors * The primary cause of symptoms and signs is judged by the investigator to be due to HF 4. Adequate clinical stability to allow participation in study assessments and the intervention Independent with basic activities of daily living, including the ability to ambulate independently (with or without the use of an assistive device) prior to admission 5. Able to walk 4 meters (with or without the use of an assistive device) at the time of enrollment Exclusion Criteria: 1. Acute myocardial infarction within the past 3 months, or planned coronary artery intervention (percutaneous or surgical) within the next 6 months (Note: given that cardiac biomarkers such as troponin are frequently elevated in HF patients, the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction should be based on clinical diagnosis, not biomarkers alone) 2. Severe aortic or mitral valve stenosis 3. Severe valvular heart disease with planned intervention within next 6 months 4. Known pericardial constriction, genetic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or infiltrative cardiomyopathy including amyloid heart disease (amyloidosis) 5. Planned discharge other than to home or a facility where the participant will live independently 6. Terminal illness other than HF with life expectancy \<1 year 7. Impairment from stroke or other medical disorders that preclude participation in the intervention 8. Known dementia by medical record documentation, OR patients with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) \<=18 AND without social support, OR MoCA \<10 regardless of social support 9. Advanced chronic kidney disease defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate \<20 mL/min/1.73 m2 or on chronic or intermittent dialysis or dialysis anticipated within the next 6 months 10. Already engaging in regular moderate to vigorous exercise conditioning defined as \>30 minutes per day, \>= twice per week consistently during the previous 6 weeks 11. Enrollment in a clinical trial not approved for co-enrollment 12. High risk for non-adherence as determined by screening evaluation 13. Inability or unwillingness to comply with the study requirements or give consent
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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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Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
RECRUITINGWinston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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