An interventional study of Handheld Fan Directed at the Face and Handheld Fan Directed at the Leg in Heart Failure, sponsored by Alexandria University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-12.
Sponsored by Alexandria University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Among 63 studies in Heart Failure with a site in Egypt — 16 open to participants now, 21 under way, 2 of them phase 3. Heart Failure · Egypt.
Among the 63 studies in Heart Failure with a site in Egypt, this one is the 10th largest by planned enrollment of the 46 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 11 that started in 2026, is one of 21 with no phase, reaches primary completion later than 15 of the 20 other live ones, and was the 63rd registered.
6,331 studies on the registry are indexed under Heart Failure; 1,396 are open to participants now.
Browse Heart Failure studies →16 of the 63 studies in Heart Failure with a site in Egypt are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:
Beni-Suef University · Sites in Egypt
Ages 45–65
Tanta University · Sites in Egypt
Ages 18+
Future University in Egypt · Sites in Egypt
Ages 18+
Cairo University · Sites in Egypt
Ages 18+
Ain Shams University · Sites in Egypt
Ages 1 mo–18 yrs
A study can be open while its sites in Egypt have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in Egypt →
Of the 968 Heart Failure studies recruiting now, 691 (71%) set no upper age limit and 89 (9%) stop at 75 or younger; 64 take children under 18; 96 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.
The full table on the hub →This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.
63 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
A study in two phases is counted once above. Listed by phase, each with its combined phases: Phase 2 10 · Phase 3 6 · Phase 4 12
First in 2014; this study’s year is marked. 11 started in 2026.
By drug class, each counting the studies that test any of its medicines:
This study's planned enrollment of 129 is above the median of 76 across 4,049 interventional studies indexed under Heart Failure.
Median enrollment 68 across the 46 interventional studies, 140 across the 17 observational. Of the 33 that completed or were terminated, 0 (0%) have results posted.
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2 of 63 have an industry lead sponsor. The 10 most frequent:
Alexandria University is the lead sponsor of 606 studies on the registry; 141 are open to participants now.
Of its 13 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
Alexandria University has 6 studies filed under Heart Failure — fewer than ten, so there is no comparison to draw.
6 of the studies in Heart Failure with a site in Egypt that are under way reach primary completion within a year, 0 of them phase 3. Phase 3 first, then by date:
| Study | Primary completion |
|---|---|
| NCT07841665Alexandria UniversityAI-Based Personalized Self-Management for Patients With Heart Failure | 2026-12 |
| NCT07692256Ain Shams Universitythe Clinical Outcome of Empagliflozin in Pediatric Heart Failure Patients | 2026-12-01 |
| NCT07372040Tanta UniversityAdd-on Diuretics in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure | 2027-02-01 |
| NCT07930390Alexandria UniversityHandheld Fan Direction for Breathlessness in Chronic Heart and Lung Disease | 2027-02-03 |
| NCT07394270German University in CairoEffect of Add-on L-Arginine Therapy on Heart Failure Patients | 2027-03 |
Add all 6 to your calendar (.ics) → With an account.
Among the 63 studies in Heart Failure with a site in Egypt, from their registry updates:
This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.
People with chronic heart failure or chronic lung disease (such as COPD or interstitial lung disease) often feel short of breath when they exert themselves. A handheld fan blowing air on the face may ease this feeling, but it is not clear whether the benefit lasts with longer home use, whether it depends on the direction of the airflow, or whether it works in patients with heart disease and in hot climates.
This study will compare three conditions in adults with stable chronic heart and/or lung disease who become breathless on exertion: (1) a handheld fan directed at the face, (2) a handheld fan directed at the leg, and (3) no fan (usual care). Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1:1) to one of the three groups. The two fan groups will use the fan at home for 12 weeks. The no-fan group will receive a fan after the final assessment. The person measuring outcomes will not know which group each participant is in.
The main outcome is breathlessness (Borg 0-10 scale) in the 5 minutes after a 6-minute walk test at week 12. Other outcomes include walking distance, recovery time, breathlessness severity and impact (Dyspnoea-12), functional class, global change in breathlessness, fan use and acceptability, and emergency visits or hospital admissions.
The study also includes interviews with about 24 to 30 participants from the three groups after week 12, to understand how the fan was used, how acceptable it was, and how heat and humidity affected it. Trial and interview findings will be analysed separately and then combined.
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.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
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.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Handheld battery-operated fan directed at the face whenever the participant feels breathless, for 12 weeks at home. Participants receive training and a teach-back check at week 0 and keep a daily diary. Usual care continues unchanged.
Device: Handheld Fan Directed at the Face
Same handheld fan (same model and speed) directed at the leg at the same distance and for the same duration whenever the participant feels breathless, for 12 weeks at home. Training, teach-back, diary and usual care are the same as in the fan-to-face arm.
Device: Handheld Fan Directed at the Leg
Usual care for the heart or lung disease for 12 weeks, with a daily diary of breathless episodes and the same visit and phone-call schedule. After the 6-minute walk test, participants rest seated for 5 minutes without a fan. A fan is offered after the week 12 assessment.
Battery-operated handheld fan (same model and speed in both fan arms) directed at the face at a distance of about 15 to 30 cm whenever the participant feels breathless, for a set time per use after training. Used at home for 12 weeks.
The same handheld fan directed at the leg at the same distance and for the same duration per use. Used at home for 12 weeks as an active comparator.
Breathlessness intensity (Borg CR10) after the 6-minute walk test
Breathlessness rated on the Borg CR10 scale (0 = nothing at all, 10 = maximal; higher is worse) during the 5 minutes of seated recovery after a 6-minute walk test, with a fan (fan-to-face and fan-to-leg arms) or seated rest without a fan (no-fan arm). Rated at minutes 1, 3 and 5; the minute used for the primary analysis is \[FIX BEFORE SUBMITTING\]. The walk test is done without a fan in all arms.
Time frame: Week 12
6-minute walk distance
Distance walked in 6 minutes.
Time frame: Week 0 and week 12
Recovery time after exertion
Minutes from the end of the walk test until Borg breathlessness first returns to the pre-test value, asked every minute for 5 minutes (censored at 5 minutes).
Time frame: Week 0 and week 12
Borg CR10 breathing discomfort
Borg CR10 rating of breathing discomfort (0 to 10, higher is worse), assessed before and at the end of the 6-minute walk test.
Time frame: Week 0 and week 12
Dyspnoea-12 total score
12 breathlessness descriptors, each scored 0 to 3; total 0 to 36 (higher is worse), with physical (0 to 21) and affective (0 to 15) components.
Time frame: Week 0 and week 12
Functional class
NYHA class (I to IV) in heart failure participants, and MRC dyspnoea grade (1 to 5) in all participants. Higher is worse.
Time frame: Week 0 and week 12
Borg CR10 leg effort
Borg CR10 rating of leg effort (0 to 10, higher is worse), assessed before and at the end of the 6-minute walk test.
Time frame: Time Frame: Week 0 and Week 12
Qualitative experience, acceptability and context
Semi-structured interviews (30 to 45 minutes) with about 24 to 30 participants on how the fan was used, perceived mechanism, barriers, and effect of heat and humidity. Reflexive thematic analysis.
Time frame: Within 7 days after the week 12 visit
Start is estimated for Nov 2026; primary completion for Feb 2027, 2 months later.
Of 1,118 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Heart Failure, half reached primary completion within 29 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 50. This study's planned 2 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,354 studies reached it within 31 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 52.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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