Home exercise program with a mobile app after LVAD (HeartMate 3)
Home-based Exercise Program Using Mobile Technology After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation
This project offers a home walking and strengthening program delivered through a mobile app for people who have received a HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device to help increase daily activity and muscle strength.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11134612 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would use a phone app and wearable activity tracking to follow a structured walking and resistance program at home after your LVAD surgery. The project is a randomized, controlled pilot where some participants follow the mobile home program while others receive usual care, with exercise prescriptions and progression guided by collected activity data. Outcomes include daily steps, six-minute walk distance, measures of muscle strength/quantity, and frailty-related measures, collected over months after implantation. The goal is to start rehabilitation earlier than typical center-based programs and make exercise easier to do from home.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults who have received a HeartMate 3 LVAD and are medically stable after discharge but want to begin home-based cardiac rehabilitation.
Not a fit: People who are medically unstable after LVAD surgery, have device complications, cannot safely exercise, or cannot use a smartphone/wearable may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help LVAD recipients walk more, gain strength, reduce frailty, and possibly lower healthcare use.
How similar studies have performed: Center-based cardiac rehabilitation and exercise programs have helped many heart failure patients, but home-based mobile rehabilitation specifically for LVAD recipients is relatively new and supported mainly by early or pilot studies.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vidula, Himabindu — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Vidula, Himabindu
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.