Strength before cardio: new exercise strategy tested for heart patients
NCT ID NCT07324772
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a new exercise approach for people aged 60 and older who have both atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) and a type of heart failure called HFpEF. Instead of starting with aerobic exercise like walking, participants will first do 2 months of progressive resistance training (strength exercises) before adding aerobic training. The goal is to see if this sequence improves how far they can walk in 6 minutes, their muscle strength, and their quality of life. The study plans to enroll 30 participants and is not yet recruiting.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- progressive resistance training followed by aerobic exercise
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a more tolerable exercise program that improves daily function and quality of life for older adults with both atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The exercise program may be too challenging for some, and there is no guarantee it will improve symptoms.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
May 2026
- Expected to finish
-
May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
60 to 99 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 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: All participants will be age 60 and older, have a primary diagnosis of AF and HFpEF, based on electronic health record review. Patients with persistent AF or Paroxysmal AF are eligible. HFpEF will be defined in accordance to the 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline using a clinical composite score, the H2FPEF score, in conjunction with diagnostic criteria below: * Ejection fraction ≥ 50% * E/e' ≥15 by Doppler Echocardiography * High H2FpEF score (≥5) * Must be in stable medical condition and able to begin an exercise program Exclusion Criteria: * Valvular heart disease as the primary etiology of heart failure (i.e., severe aortic stenosis or mitral regurgitation), * New York Heart Association Stage IV * Recent stroke (\<1 year) * Evidence or History of Cardiac amyloidosis * Patients with persistent AF and poor rate control (HR \> 110 at rest) * Significant change in cardiac medication or Heart Failure symptoms \< 2 weeks * Unstable or severe angina not controlled during daily activity by pharmacological therapy or at \<4 METS activity * Uncontrolled hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure \>200 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure\>110 mm Hg) with medications * Uncontrolled diabetes with recent weight loss, diabetic coma, or frequent insulin reactions * Hospitalization or urgent care visit \< 4 weeks * Oxygen dependent Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) * Significant anemia (\<10 g/dL Hgb) * End stage renal replacement therapy associated with the need for dialysis * Active treatment for cancer defined as current radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or cancer recurrence within past 5 years * Hospice care and indication of life expectancy less than 2 years * Complete dependence confinement to a Wheelchair confinement or requiring a visual impairment or Orthopedic or severe musculoskeletal conditions that would prohibit resistance training or aerobic exercise. * Physician diagnosed Alzheimer's disease or Dementia or bipolar or psychotic disorder; Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is ≤ 18 (based on participant screening) * High levels of physical functioning based the composite short physical performance battery score of ≥10 (out of 12) * Planned major surgery, coronary or leg revascularization during the next six months * Participation in a supervised exercise program or already engaging in regular exercise * Plans to transfer care outside of NU within the study period * Unable to consent or commit to requires study procedures * Non-English speaking
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Atrial fibrillation (AF) are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Northwestern University
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a checklist and heart monitor stop repeat strokes?
- Two ways to quiet a racing heart: trial pits hybrid ablation against standard catheter treatment
- Can a breathing workout and walks help dialysis patients with irregular heartbeats?
- Zapping the ear: a new way to stop Post-Surgery heart rhythm problems?
- Can a new mapping and ablation system fix recurring atrial fibrillation?
- Extra vein ablation tested to keep persistent AFib from returning