The Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation in Liver Transplant Patients

NCT ID: NCT07327008

Last Updated: 2026-01-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 58 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-02-01
• Study Completion Date: 2026-07-30

Brief Summary

Liver transplantation is defined as a surgical procedure in which a liver with tissue damage and inability to perform its functions is replaced, in whole or in part, with a healthy liver obtained from a living or deceased donor. Post-transplantation treatment includes medical treatment, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation, an important component of liver transplantation management, consists of three phases: preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative. Telerehabilitation is currently defined as the control or monitoring of rehabilitation remotely using telecommunication-related technologies. Studies on telerehabilitation in liver transplant patients are insufficient in the literature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a telerehabilitation-based exercise program applied to liver transplant patients on exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength, peripheral muscle strength, fatigue level and quality of life.

Detailed Description

Participants will be randomly divided into two groups: a telerehabilitation group and home exercise program group. Both groups will be evaluated before and after treatment (week 8). The telerehabilitation group will receive videoconference-based telerehabilitation three days a week for eight weeks. All exercises will be performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Each telerehabilitation session will last approximately 30-45 minutes. The exercises will be performed in the following order: breathing exercises, strengthening exercises, balance exercises, and walking exercises. The home exercise program group will receive an exercise brochure after the initial evaluation. Both groups will continue with their standard medical treatments, and a second evaluation will be conducted at the end of eight weeks. Participants' exercise capacity will be assessed using the "6-Minute Walk Test," fatigue level using "The Fatigue Severity Scale", respiratory muscle strength by measuring "Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP)" and "Maximal expiratory pressure (MEP)", muscle strength using a digital dynamometer, balance using the "Timed Up and Go Test," and quality of life using the "The Liver Disease Symptom Index 2.0"

Conditions

Liver Transplantation; Telerehabilitation

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Telerehabilitation group

The telerehabilitation group will receive videoconference-based telerehabilitation three days a week for eight weeks. All exercises will be performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Telerehabilitation

Intervention Type: OTHER

The telerehabilitation program will include breathing, strengthening, balance, and walking exercises, with increasing intensity week by week, and stretching exercises targeting major muscles will be given during the cool-down period.

Home exercise program group

Home exercise program group will initially be given instructions on the exercises and asked to perform them three days a week for eight weeks. They will be contacted by phone once a week to inquire whether they are doing the exercises.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Home exercise

Intervention Type: OTHER

Patients will be given brochures on breathing, strengthening, balance and walking exercises and asked to perform them without a physiotherapist.

Interventions

Telerehabilitation

The telerehabilitation program will include breathing, strengthening, balance, and walking exercises, with increasing intensity week by week, and stretching exercises targeting major muscles will be given during the cool-down period.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Home exercise

Patients will be given brochures on breathing, strengthening, balance and walking exercises and asked to perform them without a physiotherapist.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Being between 18-65 years of age and having undergone a liver transplant
• Having had a liver transplant operation at least 6 months prior
• Spontaneous breathing
• Hemodynamic stability
• Reading and writing skills
• Ability to mobilize independently, ability to follow verbal and visual instructions

Exclusion Criteria

• Presence of unstable cardiovascular disease
• Presence of primary lung disease requiring regular bronchodilator treatment
• Presence of neuromuscular disease or neurological complications
• Musculoskeletal limitation/use of assistive devices
• Being a multiple organ transplant recipient
• Presence of orthopedic disability and functional capacity limitation

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Alper AYAS

Lecturer

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Faculty of Health Sciences, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Laboratory

Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Central Contacts

Alper AYAS, MSc

Role: CONTACT

alper.ayas@ogr.iuc.edu.tr

+90 505 952 63 15

Facility Contacts

Rüstem Mustafaoğlu, associate professor

Role: primary

rustem.mustafaoglu@iuc.edu.tr

+90 555 417 85 35

Other Identifiers

IUC-FTR-AA-01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id