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RecruitingNCT05617196Updated Aug 21, 2024

Virtual PREHAB Study for Patients Undergoing TAVI

An interventional study of Virtual PREHAB and Standard care in Cardiovascular Diseases in Old Age, Frailty and TAVI, sponsored by Nova Scotia Health Authority. Recruiting at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 50 Years to 100 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-08-21.

Sponsored by Nova Scotia Health Authority · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Mar 2025, 1 year 7 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Jan 2023; still recruiting 3 years 9 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
50 Years to 100 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Nova Scotians are aging and many are becoming frailer. People with frailty are more likely to live in worse health and do not recover well from major events, such as open heart surgery. Many people are also too frail to receive open heart surgery. Less invasive procedures called transcatheter aortic valve implantation, or TAVI, are provided for the frailest patients. While TAVI is life-saving, frailer patients are less likely to survive in better health after their operation. Patients in Nova Scotia can also wait up to 3-6 months for their operation where they become frailer or can die before receiving TAVI. The investigators believe that it is important to support these individuals to improve their frailty and overall health before their operation.

Center-based cardiac rehabilitation is offered to patients after, but not before TAVI to improve their health. Center-based preoperative cardiac rehabilitation (i.e., PREHAB) can safely improve the function of frail patients who received open heart surgery. However, many patients cannot come to a center-based PREHAB because of transportation requirements to access the program. Another option is to support these patients with virtually delivered PREHAB, where they can stay in their homes. However, this possibility has not been studied.

For this study, virtual PREHAB will be delivered using the virtual cardiac rehabilitation program in Nova Scotia to patients before TAVI. This intervention will be delivered by healthcare providers who routinely care for TAVI patients, including a medical director, program lead, nurse, physiotherapist, and dietician. Ther goal of this study is to determine if it is feasible and safe to use virtual PREHAB to reduce frailty before TAVI. This research fits with Research Nova Scotia's priorities to improve patient outcomes in those with significant long-term health conditions, and to provide accessible, safe, and quality virtual healthcare to patients so they can thrive after their operation.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cardiovascular Diseases in Old Age
  • Frailty
  • TAVI

Keywords

  • Frailty
  • Virtual PREHAB
  • Cardiac rehabilitation
  • TAVI
03

In context

Cardiovascular Diseases

4,904 studies on the registry are indexed under Cardiovascular Diseases; 919 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 100 across 2,738 interventional studies indexed under Cardiovascular Diseases.

Browse Cardiovascular Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Nova Scotia Health Authority is the lead sponsor of 255 studies on the registry; 76 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
50 Years to 100 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Outpatients attending the TAVI clinic at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
  • Informed written or verbal consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • New York Heart Association or Canadian Cardiovascular Score of 4
  • Severe functional limitations
  • Cognitive impairment that impacts consenting ability
  • Significant language barrier
  • No internet or telephone access that precludes virtual PREHAB participation
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
40 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Standard Care

    Behavioral: Standard care

  • Experimental
    Virtual PREHAB

    In addition to standard care, participants randomized to the The virtual PREHAB program will be delivered by the Hearts and Health in Motion cardiac rehabilitation CR health care team including a medical director nurse, dietician, and physiotherapist who routinely deliver CR postoperatively. The virtual PREHAB program will be up to 8-weeks in duration and deliver the core components of CR online or by telephone.

    Behavioral: Virtual PREHAB

Interventions

  • BehavioralVirtual PREHAB

    The Virtual PREHAB program begins with a virtual health care team assessment. The physiotherapist will support patients in identifying ways to safely engage in home-based physical activities and in their neighborhoods. Additional weekly 30-minute telephone consultations with the physiotherapist, nurse, and dietitian are provided as well as three 30-minute online consultations are provided; telephone calls will replace these online consults if the patient does not have internet access. Telephone and/or online consults with participants will monitor the progression of the individual through the program, review patient materials, review medication changes, as well as provide recommendations to adopting a physically active lifestyle, diet, well-being, smoking, or other supports available to the patient. Medication changes are monitored by a nurse and any necessary medication recommendations involve the program's medical director, the patient's family physician, and TAVI team.

  • BehavioralStandard care

    In Nova Scotia, patients are referred to the TAVI program. The TAVI health care team, consisting of a cardiac surgeon, cardiologist, nurse, and geriatric team conduct patient assessments and provide guidance and resources on self management.Once patient assessments are completed, patients are discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting. When a patient is accepted for TAVI, they are placed on a waiting list which lasts for 3-6 months depending on urgency.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. CLSA-FI

    Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. CLSA-FI

    Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 8-weeks preoperatively

  3. CLSA-FI

    Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 1-week preoperatively

  4. CLSA-FI

    Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 3-months postoperatively

  5. PFFS-FI

    Pictorial-Fit Frail Scale Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: Baseline

  6. PFFS-FI

    Pictorial-Fit Frail Scale Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 1-week preoperatively

  7. PFFS-FI

    Pictorial-Fit Frail Scale Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 8-weeks preoperatively

  8. PFFS-FI

    Pictorial-Fit Frail Scale Frailty Index; range 0-1 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 3-months postoperatively

Secondary outcomes

  1. EQ-5D-5L health-related quality of life

    Euroqol-5 dimension-5 level health-related quality of life; range 5-25 (lower is better)

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. EQ-5D-5L health-related quality of life

    Euroqol-5 dimension-5 level health-related quality of life; range 5-25 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 8-weeks preoperatively

  3. EQ-5D-5L health-related quality of life

    Euroqol-5 dimension-5 level health-related quality of life; range 5-25 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 1-week preoperatively

  4. EQ-5D-5L health-related quality of life

    Euroqol-5 dimension-5 level health-related quality of life; range 5-25 (lower is better)

    Time frame: 3-months postoperatively

  5. VARC-3 Composite clinical end-points

    Valvular Academic Research Consortium V.3.0 clinical endpoints (Mortality, Neurologic events, Hospitalization, Rehospitalization, Bleeding and transfusions, Vascular and access-related complications, Cardiac structural complications, Other procedural or valve-related complications, New conduction disturbances and arrhythmias, New conduction disturbances and arrhythmias, Myocardial infarction, Bioprosthetic valve dysfunction, Leaflet thickening and reduced motion, Clinically significant valve thrombosis, Patient-reported outcomes and health status. Fewer complications indicate a better surgical outcome

    Time frame: Hospital discharge (assessed up to day 14)

  6. VARC-3 Composite clinical end-points

    Valvular Academic Research Consortium V.3.0 clinical endpoints (Mortality, Neurologic events, Hospitalization, Rehospitalization, Bleeding and transfusions, Vascular and access-related complications, Cardiac structural complications, Other procedural or valve-related complications, New conduction disturbances and arrhythmias, New conduction disturbances and arrhythmias, Myocardial infarction, Bioprosthetic valve dysfunction, Leaflet thickening and reduced motion, Clinically significant valve thrombosis, Patient-reported outcomes and health status. Fewer complications indicate a better surgical outcome

    Time frame: 30-days postoperatively

  7. Cardiac rehabilitation attendance

    Percent of people attending cardiac rehabilitation

    Time frame: 3-months postoperatively

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Nova Scotia Health
    Halifax, Nova Scotia B4E 0H4, Canada
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 21, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05617196
Lead sponsor
Nova Scotia Health Authority
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 15, 2022
Start date
Jan 5, 2023
Primary completion
Mar 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 21, 2024

Study contacts

Scott Kehler, PhD
Contact
scott.kehler@dal.ca
902-494-2822

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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