Exercise intolerance in CHF following CRT (V1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exercise intolerance in heart failure and changes following pacemaker implantation: The NERO study
IRAS ID
181909
Contact name
Klaus Witte
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a complex disease one of the defining features of which is a profound exercise intolerance, which severely impairs patient’s quality of life and ability to complete normal day-to-day activities such as walking. Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) can improve the ability of the heart to pump blood by improving the synchronisation of the ventricular contraction. This improvement in heart function and thus oxygen delivery is then associated with improved symptoms and quality of life. However, the degree of improvement is currently unpredictable, and up to 40 % of patients are said to be “non-responders”. Recently, abnormalities within the skeletal muscles (i.e. oxygen utilisation) have been highlighted as being important in contributing to the exercise intolerance seen in CHF. Therefore, it is possible that in CRT non-responders, their exercise tolerance is more limited by their skeletal muscles (oxygen utilisation) than by their heart (oxygen delivery). The purpose of this study is to non-invasively assess patient’s oxygen delivery and utilisation at rest and during standard exercise protocols, before and then at three time points following CRT. This will allow us to investigate whether those with overriding problems of oxygen utilisation (i.e. dysfunctional muscles) are less likely to respond to CRT than those with overriding problems of oxygen delivery and how this then links to their exercise tolerance. Collectively, these results will improve our overall understanding of what is causing the profound decrease in exercise tolerance seen in CHF, how this changes following CRT, and help focus development of complementary individualised interventions and treatments that better improve exercise tolerance following CRT.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0306
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion