Leg Heat Therapy in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

NCT ID: NCT06388226

Last Updated: 2025-11-17

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

90 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-08-15

Study Completion Date

2026-08-31

Brief Summary

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The objective of this pilot study is to establish evidence to support the validity of HT in improving skeletal muscle function and physical capacity of patients with HFpEF. Our central hypothesis is that HT treatment will lead to improvements in skeletal muscle and microvascular function compared to a control intervention. As a result, we anticipate that patients treated with HT will demonstrate improved skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow and oxygenation resulting in enhanced exercise tolerance. To explore this hypothesis, we propose the following specific aim: Explore the effects of home-based HT on exercise tolerance in patients with HFpEF.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Heat therapy

Patients will be provided with water-circulating trousers, a water heater, and a water tank coupled to a water pump. The heater will be adjusted to warm up the water to 42ºC. Participants will be asked to apply the therapy daily for 90 min while in the supine position.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Leg heat therapy

Intervention Type DEVICE

A sous vide heating immersion circulator heats up the water inside the water tank to 42ºC. A water pump circulates temperature-regulated water through the trousers.

Sham control

Patients will be provided with water-circulating trousers, a water heater, and a water tank coupled to a water pump. The heater will be adjusted to warm up the water to 33ºC. Participants will be asked to apply the therapy daily for 90 min while seated or in the supine position.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Leg sham therapy

Intervention Type DEVICE

A sous vide heating immersion circulator heats up the water inside the water tank to 33ºC. A water pump circulates temperature-regulated water through the trousers.

Interventions

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Leg heat therapy

A sous vide heating immersion circulator heats up the water inside the water tank to 42ºC. A water pump circulates temperature-regulated water through the trousers.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Leg sham therapy

A sous vide heating immersion circulator heats up the water inside the water tank to 33ºC. A water pump circulates temperature-regulated water through the trousers.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Men and women older than 18 years
* Established diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥50% as evidenced by Doppler echocardiography and/or ratio of the early mitral inflow velocity (E) to septal tissue Doppler velocity (e') \>8 and at least 1 other sign of chronically elevated filling pressures, including an enlarged left atrium (left atrial volume index \>34 mL/m2), an elevated N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) level within the past year, long-term loop diuretic use for control of symptoms, or elevated filling pressures (mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure \>12 mmHg) on prior cardiac catheterization
* Stable medical treatment

Exclusion Criteria

* Recent hospitalization (within the previous 1 month)
* Unstable angina and/or uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia causing symptoms or hemodynamic compromise (including severe bradycardia or tachycardia, sick sinus syndrome, or multifocal premature ventricular contractions)
* Presence of any clinical condition that makes the patient unsuitable to participate in the trial, e.g., significant ischemic or valvular heart disease, cor pulmonale, unstable coronary artery disease, primary renal (e.g., estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<25 mL/min/1.73 m2) or hepatic disease (e.g., aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels \>3.0 times the upper limit of the normal range), pulmonary, neuromuscular, orthopedic disorders, among others
* Inability to exercise on the treadmill
* Inability to provide informed consent
* Concern for inability of the patient to comply with study procedures and/or follow up (e.g., alcohol or drug abuse)
* Any contraindication to heat therapy and/or inability to fit into water-circulating trousers
* Impaired thermal sensation in the leg
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Purdue University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Indiana University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Onyedika Ilonze

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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IU Health Methodist

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

IU Health University Hospital

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Doris Muriathiri, MPH, CCRP

Role: CONTACT

317-274-0903

Daniel Hirai, PhD

Role: CONTACT

765-494-7113

Facility Contacts

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Doris Muriathiri, MPH, CCRP

Role: primary

317-274-0903

Doris Muriathiri, MPH, CCRP

Role: primary

317-274-0908

Other Identifiers

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IRB # 16143

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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