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WithdrawnNCT06575634Updated Sep 16, 2026

Exercise Therapy on Rheological Functions of Erythrocyte in Hemodialysis

An interventional study of Supervised exercise training in Hemodialysis Complication, sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Withdrawn at 1 site in Taiwan. Open to participants aged 20 Years to 80 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-16.

Sponsored by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was withdrawn
The study was not initiated, and no participants were enrolled.

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 2 years after the study started (first participant enrolled Aug 2022, registered Aug 2024).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
0
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
20 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To improve aerobic capacity, muscular function, and health-related quality of life in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), regular exercise is recommended. Supervised intradialytic exercise at moderate intensity is a viable approach to ensure patient safety, maintain compliance, and effectively enhance physiological adaptations. However, the impact of exercise training on erythrocyte rheological properties in ESRD patients, such as red blood cell deformability, aggregation, and oxygen transport capacity, remains unclear.

Method: ESRD patients (anticipated n=180) will undergo supervised exercise training therapy three times per week for six months in the hospital, followed by three months at home. Cardiopulmonary exercise tests will be conducted before and after the intervention. Erythrocyte deformability and aggregation will be assessed using a laser-assisted optical rotational cell analyzer (LORCA), while additional protein levels and reactive oxygen species (ROS) status will be measured using a flow cytometer. This will help determine how exercise affects the rheological properties of red blood cells in this population.

Read the detailed description

Renal dysfunction often stems from cardiovascular-related comorbidities or metabolic disorders, leading to the accumulation of excessive inflammatory products or damaging the bioenergetic health of red blood cells. This eventually contributes to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). At the most advanced stage, known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), patients suffer from severe uremia and renal failure, necessitating renal replacement therapy, typically in the form of dialysis.

Hemodialysis (HD) is the most common treatment for ESRD patients, especially in Taiwan, which has the highest global prevalence of HD due to related chronic diseases and a comprehensive National Health Insurance program. However, long-term maintenance HD is associated with physical inactivity and a low quality of life. As a result, exercise training is recommended to improve physiological adaptations and enhance functional capacity in HD patients. Supervised intradialytic exercise in clinical settings offers a safer and more progressive approach, leading to low dropout rates and better compliance.

Red blood cell dysfunction is a significant issue in ESRD, as impaired red blood cells can affect their deformability, aggregation, and oxygen transport capacity.

The purpose of this study is to establish reliable measurements of red blood cell function in HD patients and assess cardiovascular and muscular fitness, along with the effects of intradialytic exercise on these parameters.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hemodialysis Complication

Keywords

  • Hemodialysis
  • Exercise training
  • Erythrocyte
  • Rheology
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital is the lead sponsor of 1,064 studies on the registry; 235 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
20 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Receiving hemodialysis and medication at least for 6 weeks
  • Kt/V score > 1.2

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under 20 years-old
  • Hyperkalemia occurs within 3 month
  • Having orthopedic or muscular diseases
  • Other concerned medical, psychological or physiological diseases
  • Pregnancy
  • Other exercise contraindications
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
0 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Supervised exercise training

    Behavioral: Supervised exercise training

  • No intervention
    Control group

Interventions

  • BehavioralSupervised exercise training

    Participants perform Intradialytic cycling exercise training in the hospital for 6 months (24 weeks) and 3 months (12 weeks) at home. Exercise prescription: 50-60% maximal workload for 20-30 minutes, including low intensity warm-up and cool down (30% of maximal workload).

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Deformability of erythrocytes

    Red blood cells (RBCs) deformability refers to the cells' ability to adapt their shape to the dynamically changing flow conditions so as to minimize their resistance to flow.

    Time frame: 9 months

  2. Aggregation of erythrocytes

    Erythrocyte aggregation is the reversible clumping of red blood cells (RBCs) under low shear forces or at stasis.

    Time frame: 9 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Cardiopulmonary fitness

    ESRD patients performed cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to assess their aerobic capacity. CPET composed of continuous workload increment of 10 W/min until exhaustion (usually within 8-12 minutes). Oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, ventilation, respiratory rate would be recorded.

    Time frame: 9 months

  2. Quality of life in ESRD patients

    The investigators would use a qusionnaire, The Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36-item short form survey (KDQOL-36), to record and scale the qulaity of life in ESRD patients. The KDQOL-36 (Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36-Item Short Form Survey) measures the quality of life in kidney disease patients. It uses a score range from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better quality of life and lower scores indicate worse outcomes. Ensure to note this when reporting results to clarify that higher scores reflect fewer symptoms and better overall well-being.

    Time frame: 9 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Chang Gung University
    Taoyuan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
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 Sep 16, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06575634
Lead sponsor
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Responsible party
Jong-Shyan Wang (Professor, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 28, 2024
Start date
Aug 1, 2022
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 31, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 16, 2026

Study contacts

Jong-Shyan Wang, PhD
principal investigator · Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Oversight

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

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This study is withdrawn, as verified in Aug 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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