High-intensity Intervals Versus Low-to-moderate-intensity Exercise Training in Patients With PAD

NCT ID: NCT05612945

Last Updated: 2024-03-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 60 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-03-01
• Study Completion Date: 2028-01-01

Brief Summary

Supervised exercise training (SET) is considered among first-line therapies for patients with symptomatic lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD), combined with general cardiovascular risk management, lifestyle adaptation and pharmacological treatment.

Although without clear consistency, the guidelines give recommendations in terms of claudication pain severity, SET volume, duration, and frequency. However, no or little guidance is offered as far as training intensity is concerned. Most of the previous studies on SET, in the context of PAD, did not distinguish between symptom intensity and common training intensity measures such as % of maximal heart rate (%HRmax), % of HR reserve (%HRR), % of peak oxygen uptake (%VO2peak), % of VO2 reserve (%VO2R), or the rate of perceived exertion (RPE).

In a recent meta-analysis, we demonstrated that both training modality and exercise intensity (based on %peak heart rate, %peak oxygen uptake, or the rate of perceived exertion) should be considered when looking for the best results in patients with symptomatic PAD. These results call for study of the individual roles of each exercise intensity and modality on walking performance and cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with symptomatic PAD.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is composed of brief bursts of vigorous intensity interspersed with periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. HIIT may be better than moderate-intensity training (MIT) in improving cardiorespiratory fitness and functional capacity in patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, but in patients with symptomatic PAD, the effects of such modalities on walking ability and cardiorespiratory fitness remain to be clearly determined.

The primary objective of this study is to compare the effects of 12-week-long exercise training (short-duration high-intensity intervals vs. low-to-moderate intensity) on treadmill performance in patients with symptomatic PAD.

It is hypothesized that treadmill performance would be improved to a greater extent after high-intensity exercise training

Detailed Description

Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects more than 200 million people worldwide. PAD is characterized by atherosclerotic lumen narrowing or occlusion of the lower limb arteries, leading to an imbalance between oxygen supply and demand downstream, especially in activated muscle during exertion. The hallmark symptom of PAD is typical intermittent claudication, defined as reproducible exertion-induced cramping or pain in the lower extremities, which is rapidly relieved with rest.

Patients with symptomatic PAD avoid exertion and tend to have muscle weakness, an altered gait and lower limb biomechanics. This results in impaired walking performance, accelerated functional decline, and reduced quality of life.

Supervised exercise training (SET) is considered among first-line therapies for patients with symptomatic PAD, combined with general cardiovascular risk management, lifestyle adaptation and pharmacological treatment. The clinical benefits of SET for patients with PAD are well established, with improved walking capacity and an improved quality of life as the primary outcomes.

Although without clear consistency, the guidelines give recommendations in terms of claudication pain severity, SET volume, duration, and frequency. However, no or little guidance is offered as far as training intensity is concerned. Most of the previous studies on SET, in the context of PAD, did not distinguish between symptom intensity and common training intensity measures such as % of maximal heart rate (%HRmax), % of HR reserve (%HRR), % of peak oxygen uptake (%VO2peak), % of VO2 reserve (%VO2R), or the rate of perceived exertion (RPE).

A meta-analysis by Parmenter et al. showed that vigorous (%HRpeak: 77-96, %VO2peak: 64-90, RPE: 14-17) exercise training improved cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak) more than light- to-moderate exercise therapy intensity in patients with PAD, but the changes in walking performance in these patients remain to be determined. In a recent meta-analysis, we demonstrated that both training modality and exercise intensity (based on %peak heart rate, %peak oxygen uptake, or the rate of perceived exertion) should be considered when looking for the best results in patients with symptomatic PAD. More precisely, we showed that, when training modalities were considered, walking at vigorous intensity showed the greatest improvement in maximal walking distance (MWD), while walking at light-to-moderate intensity showed the greatest improvement in pain-free walking distance. We also showed that vigorous was superior to light-to-moderate exercise intensity in improving cardiorespiratory fitness; and that, when training modalities were considered, cycling and other non-walking forms of training performed at vigorous intensity elicited the greatest improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness.

The results of our meta-analysis call for study of the individual roles of each exercise intensity and modality on walking performance and cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with symptomatic PAD.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is composed of brief bursts of vigorous intensity interspersed with periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. HIIT may be better than moderate-intensity training (MIT) in improving cardiorespiratory fitness and functional capacity in patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, but in patients with symptomatic PAD, the effects of such modalities on walking ability and cardiorespiratory fitness remain to be clearly determined.

The primary objective of this study is to compare the effects of 12-week-long exercise training (short-duration high-intensity intervals vs. low-to-moderate intensity) on treadmill performance in patients with symptomatic PAD.

It is hypothesized that treadmill performance would be improved to a greater extent after high-intensity exercise training

Conditions

Peripheral Arterial Disease

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

High-intensity interval training group (HIIT)

Exercise training sessions will consist in an alternation of brief periods (≤ 60 s) of work performed at high intensity and brief period of passive rest.

Patient will be asked to complete 1 set of 10-15x60-s (or 2 sets of 5-7x60-s) walking intervals. This protocol will elicits moderate-to-severe claudication pain during exertion. The training intensity in the HIIT group will be set at ≥85% HRpeak recorded during the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

High-intensity interval training group (HIIT)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Exercise training sessions will consist in an alternation of brief periods (≤ 60 s) of work performed at high intensity and brief period of passive rest.

Patient will be asked to complete 1 set of 10-15x60-s (or 2 sets of 5-7x60-s) walking intervals. The training intensity in the HIIT group will be set at ≥85% HRpeak recorded during the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test.

The training intervention will consist of 36 walking sessions spread over 12 weeks. Each training session will lasted 30-60 min. The training intervention will be performed on a treadmill (Cosmed T150, Itlay), which is equipped with harness and chest belt to secure the patients and prevents falling. Each session started with a 5-min walking warm-up and ended with a 5min cool-down. During all the exercise training sessions, HR of the subjects will be continuously monitored (Polar M430, Finland).

Low-to-moderate intensity training group (LowMod group)

Exercise training sessions will consist in an alternation of periods of work performed at moderate exercise intensity and period of passive rest. The training approach of the LowMod group will be similar to the training prescription usually adopted in patients with claudication. The exercise training intensity will be set at ≤76% HRpeak recorded during the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Low-to-moderate intensity training group (LowMod group)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Exercise training sessions will consist in an alternation of periods of work performed at moderate exercise intensity and period of passive rest. The training approach of the LowMod group will be similar to the training prescription usually adopted in patients with claudication. The exercise training intensity will be set at ≤76% HRpeak recorded during the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test.

The training intervention will consist of 36 walking sessions spread over 12 weeks. Each training session will lasted 30-60 min. The training intervention will be performed on a treadmill (Cosmed T150, Itlay), which is equipped with harness and chest belt to secure the patients and prevents falling. Each session started with a 5-min walking warm-up and ended with a 5min cool-down. During all the exercise training sessions, HR of the subjects will be continuously monitored (Polar M430, Finland).

Interventions

High-intensity interval training group (HIIT)

Exercise training sessions will consist in an alternation of brief periods (≤ 60 s) of work performed at high intensity and brief period of passive rest.

Patient will be asked to complete 1 set of 10-15x60-s (or 2 sets of 5-7x60-s) walking intervals. The training intensity in the HIIT group will be set at ≥85% HRpeak recorded during the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test.

The training intervention will consist of 36 walking sessions spread over 12 weeks. Each training session will lasted 30-60 min. The training intervention will be performed on a treadmill (Cosmed T150, Itlay), which is equipped with harness and chest belt to secure the patients and prevents falling. Each session started with a 5-min walking warm-up and ended with a 5min cool-down. During all the exercise training sessions, HR of the subjects will be continuously monitored (Polar M430, Finland).

Intervention Type: OTHER

Low-to-moderate intensity training group (LowMod group)

Exercise training sessions will consist in an alternation of periods of work performed at moderate exercise intensity and period of passive rest. The training approach of the LowMod group will be similar to the training prescription usually adopted in patients with claudication. The exercise training intensity will be set at ≤76% HRpeak recorded during the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test.

The training intervention will consist of 36 walking sessions spread over 12 weeks. Each training session will lasted 30-60 min. The training intervention will be performed on a treadmill (Cosmed T150, Itlay), which is equipped with harness and chest belt to secure the patients and prevents falling. Each session started with a 5-min walking warm-up and ended with a 5min cool-down. During all the exercise training sessions, HR of the subjects will be continuously monitored (Polar M430, Finland).

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adult patients with symptomatic PAD (Fontaine stage IIa/b);
• ABI ≤ 0.9 or drop by 20% following exercise treadmill test 1;
• TBI ≤ 0.6 if incompressible arteries (diabetes and renal insufficiency);
• Signed written informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria

• Age < 18;
• Unable to walk at 3.2 km/h on a treadmill (slope 0%) at least 300 m;
• Previous participate in SET programs ≤ 1 year;
• Prior leg/foot amputation;
• Contraindication to exercise
• Neurological and neuromuscular disorders and other comorbidities (orthopedic, rheumatologic) leading to gait abnormalities.
• Known Pregnancy
• Incapacity of discernment

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Lucia Mazzolai

Prof, MD, PhD

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

CHUV

Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Switzerland

Facility Contacts

Lucia Mazzolai, Prof

Role: primary

lucia.mazzolai@chuv.ch

+41213144700

Stefano Lanzi, PhD

Role: backup

stefano.lanzi@chuv.ch

+41795564911

References

Lanzi S, Pousaz A, Fresa M, Besson C, Desgraz B, Gremeaux-Bader V, Mazzolai L. Short-duration aerobic high-intensity intervals versus moderate exercise training intensity in patients with peripheral artery disease: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (the Angiof-HIIT Study). BMJ Open. 2024 Apr 17;14(4):e081883. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081883.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 38631833 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Exercise_intensity_PAD

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id