Exercise training for people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)
Efficacy of exercise training in patients with HFpEF
This project tests whether blocking specific muscle nerve signals with a spinal fentanyl injection changes circulation, muscle fatigue, and exercise ability in people with HFpEF compared with healthy controls.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11329777 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would perform supervised voluntary and passive exercise sessions while researchers measure your blood flow, blood pressure reflexes, and muscle fatigue. At times you would receive a small lumbar intrathecal fentanyl injection to temporarily block certain muscle nerve signals so the team can compare exercise with and without that feedback. They will use femoral nerve stimulation to measure central and peripheral fatigue and 31-phosphorus MR spectroscopy of the thigh muscle to look at metabolic changes during exercise. Results from people with HFpEF will be compared to well-matched healthy volunteers to pinpoint what contributes to exercise intolerance.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with HFpEF who experience exercise intolerance and are medically stable and willing to undergo lumbar intrathecal injection, MRI, and exercise testing would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People with reduced ejection fraction heart failure, unstable medical conditions, contraindications to spinal injections or MRI, or who cannot perform exercise testing are unlikely to be eligible or directly helped by this protocol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: The findings could point to new ways to reduce fatigue and improve exercise tolerance for people with HFpEF.
How similar studies have performed: Blocking group III/IV muscle afferents with intrathecal fentanyl has been used in prior human studies to change exercise responses, but applying this approach specifically to HFpEF is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Salt Lake City, United States
- VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System — Salt Lake City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Amann, Markus — VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Amann, Markus
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.