An observational study in Exercise, Cardiac Function and Echocardiography, sponsored by Central Hospital, Nancy, France. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-07.
Sponsored by Central Hospital, Nancy, France · Observational
Among 367 studies in Motor Activity with a site in France — 78 open to participants now, 90 under way, none of them phase 3. Motor Activity · France.
Among the 367 studies in Motor Activity with a site in France, this one is the 61st largest by planned enrollment of the 98 observational ones, is one of 2 that started in 2027, is one of 98 observational ones, reaches primary completion later than 52 of the 89 other live ones, and was the 347th registered.
9,798 studies on the registry are indexed under Motor Activity; 1,910 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 98 across 1,235 observational studies indexed under Motor Activity.
Browse Motor Activity studies →78 of the 367 studies in Motor Activity with a site in France are open now, in 7 countries. Each count lists the studies.
Of the 1,201 Motor Activity studies recruiting now, 517 (43%) set no upper age limit and 535 (45%) stop at 75 or younger; 180 take children under 18; 420 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · healthy volunteers too.
The full table on the hub →367 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
First in 1983; this study’s year is marked. 2 started in 2027.
Median enrollment 62 across the 269 interventional studies, 98 across the 98 observational. Of the 230 that completed or were terminated, 3 (1%) have results posted.
22 of 367 have an industry lead sponsor. The 10 most frequent:
Central Hospital, Nancy, France is the lead sponsor of 798 studies on the registry; 186 are open to participants now.
Central Hospital, Nancy, France has 5 studies filed under Motor Activity — fewer than ten, so there is no comparison to draw.
23 of the studies in Motor Activity with a site in France that are under way reach primary completion within a year, 0 of them phase 3. Phase 3 first, then by date:
| Study | Primary completion |
|---|---|
| NCT05641116Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint EtienneEffectiveness of an Intervention Combining Adapted Physical Activity and Therapeutic Education in Patients With Chronic Symptoms Attributed to Lyme Borreliosis. | 2026-12 |
| NCT05770089University Hospital, CaenVideoconferencing Adapted Physical Activity in Anorexia Nervosa: a Pilot Study | 2026-12-01 |
| NCT06061562University Hospital, GrenobleDown Syndrome, Physical Activity and Sleep Apnea | 2026-12-31 |
| NCT05383092University Hospital, ToulouseAdapted Physical Activity for Children Treated With Cancer and Insulin Sensitivity | 2026-12-31 |
| NCT07383844Fondation LenvalAnalysis of Barriers and Facilitators to Adapted Physical Activity for Pediatric Patients With Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases | 2027-01-31 |
Among the 367 studies in Motor Activity with a site in France, from their registry updates:
This prospective observational study aims to investigate the acute cardiovascular effects of ultra-endurance running using comprehensive echocardiographic assessment combined with biological analyses. The main hypothesis is that participation in an ultra-trail race induces acute and transient changes in cardiac function involving both the left and right ventricles, associated with elevations in cardiac biomarkers, with physiological responses varying according to race distance and training level and showing spontaneous recovery within the days following the event.
Adult amateur runners participating in ultra-trail races of 80 km or 160 km will undergo standardized clinical evaluation, electrocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography with myocardial deformation analysis at multiple time points, including baseline, pre-effort, during the race, immediately after exercise, and during early recovery approximately one week after the event. Biological sampling will be performed before the race, immediately after exercise, and at follow-up.
The primary objective is to evaluate acute changes in left ventricular systolic function assessed by global longitudinal strain. Secondary objectives include the assessment of biventricular and atrial function, cardiac and non-cardiac biomarkers, recovery patterns after ultra-endurance exercise, and the influence of race distance, training level, performance level, and sex on cardiovascular responses.
This exploratory single-center study conducted in France seeks to provide an integrative characterization of cardiac adaptations to extreme endurance exercise and to generate physiological insights that may guide future research and cardiovascular monitoring strategies in endurance athletes.
Ultra-endurance running has gained increasing popularity, yet its acute cardiovascular effects remain incompletely characterized. Previous studies in endurance athletes have reported transient changes in myocardial function and elevations in cardiac biomarkers after prolonged exercise, but available data in ultra-trail settings remain limited and heterogeneous. Most prior investigations relied on pre- and post-race comparisons, small sample sizes, or incomplete assessment of right ventricular and atrial function, and rarely integrated multimodal echocardiographic imaging with standardized biological analyses.
The ULTRA-ECHO study is a prospective observational physiology study designed to investigate acute and short-term cardiovascular adaptations to ultra-endurance exercise under real-life conditions. Adult runners participating in the "Trail des Échos" ultra-trail race (80 km or 160 km) will undergo standardized transthoracic echocardiography, clinical evaluation, and biological sampling at predefined time points, including baseline screening, pre-effort, during the race, immediately after exercise, and during early recovery approximately one week after the event. Echocardiographic acquisitions will be performed using standardized imaging protocols on identical ultrasound systems, with centralized offline analysis and blinded secondary review in order to ensure reproducibility and minimize operator-related bias.
The primary focus of the study is the assessment of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS), a sensitive marker of subclinical systolic myocardial function that may detect exercise-induced myocardial fatigue even when conventional ejection fraction remains preserved. Secondary evaluations include comprehensive structural and functional echocardiographic parameters of the left ventricle, right ventricle, and left atrium, as well as cardiac and systemic biological responses to prolonged endurance exercise.
This exploratory before-after design does not include a control group, as each participant serves as their own control through repeated within-subject assessments. The study also aims to explore potential modifiers of cardiovascular responses, including race distance, finisher status, training level, performance level, and sex. By integrating sequential imaging, biomarker analysis, and early follow-up evaluation, ULTRA-ECHO seeks to improve understanding of transient cardiac adaptations and recovery dynamics associated with ultra-endurance exercise and to generate physiological insights that may inform future research and cardiovascular monitoring strategies in endurance athletes.
Adult ultra-endurance runners participating in the "Trail des Échos" ultra-trail race (80 km or 160 km), screened prior to participation and recruited to investigate physiological cardiovascular adaptations to prolonged endurance exercise in individuals without known cardiovascular disease.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adult amateur runners participating in ultra-trail races (80 km or 160 km) undergoing prospective echocardiographic and biological assessments to evaluate acute cardiovascular adaptations to ultra-endurance exercise.
Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS)
Left ventricular global longitudinal strain measured by transthoracic echocardiography using speckle-tracking analysis. Image acquisition is standardized and analyzed centrally with blinded secondary review to assess subclinical systolic myocardial function in ultra-endurance runners.
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0) and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)
Structural echocardiographic parameters, ventricular volumes, and myocardial strain
Assessment of left and right ventricular sizes and volumes (millimeters or milliliters), left atrial dimensions (millimeters or milliliters per square meter) and function, alongside right ventricular free-wall strain (percentage), measured by standardized transthoracic echocardiography
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0), during effort (Day 1 to 2), and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)
Echocardiographic assessment of systolic and diastolic function
Assessment of left and right ventricular systolic and diastolic function, including FAC (percentage), TAPSE (millimeters), and S' wave (centimeters per second), measured by standardized transthoracic echocardiography
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0), during effort (Day 1 to 2), and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)
Echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary pressures
Assessment of pulmonary pressures (millimeters of mercury) measured by standardized transthoracic echocardiography
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0), during effort (Day 1 to 2), and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)
Serum high-sensitivity troponin levels
Measurement of serum high-sensitivity troponin levels (nanograms per liter) to evaluate myocardial stress
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0) and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)
Serum NT-proBNP levels
Measurement of serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels (picograms per milliliter) to evaluate cardiac wall stretch
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0) and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)
Serum creatine kinase levels
Measurement of serum creatine kinase levels (units per liter) to evaluate skeletal or myocardial muscle damage
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0) and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3)
Number of participants with abnormal non-cardiac biological laboratory findings
Number of participants presenting with laboratory values outside the standard reference ranges for systemic biological responses, including electrolytes, creatinine, complete blood count, and lactate
Time frame: Pre-effort (Baseline / Day 0) and immediately post-effort (at time of completion, typically Day 1 to Day 3
Cardiovascular recovery assessed by transthoracic echocardiography
Evaluation of myocardial structural and functional recovery, specifically tracking changes in right ventricular free-wall strain (percentage), ventricular volumes (milliliters), and diastolic velocities (centimeters per second) between the end of the race and follow-up
Time frame: Immediately post-effort (at time of completion, Day 1 to 3) and at follow-up (6 ± 1 days post-race)
Cardiovascular recovery assessed by serum cardiac biomarkers
Evaluation of cardiac biomarker clearance and recovery, specifically tracking changes in high-sensitivity troponin levels (nanograms per liter) and NT-proBNP levels (picograms per milliliter) between the end of the race and follow-up
Time frame: Immediately post-effort (at time of completion, Day 1 to 3) and at follow-up (6 ± 1 days post-race)
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for May 2027; primary completion for May 2027, 0 months later.
Of 490 non-industry observational studies under Motor Activity, half reached primary completion within 22 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 48. This study's planned 0 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 500 studies reached it within 22 months; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 48.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Central Hospital, Nancy, France →