Personalized exercise testing to improve heart rehabilitation for older adults
Official title: Improving outcomes from cardiac rehabilitation among older adults through exercise testing and individualized exercise intensity prescriptions
Funded at Baystate Medical Center, INC. · NIH-11178393 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses exercise tests and customized workout intensity to help older adults get fitter and recover better during cardiac rehabilitation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baystate Medical Center, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Springfield, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $561,824 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG077179-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11178393 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults referred to outpatient cardiac rehabilitation after a heart event or procedure who are medically cleared for exercise testing and supervised training.
✕Less likely to help
People who are medically unstable, unable to tolerate exercise testing, or have severe mobility or cognitive limitations may not be eligible or benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
You would start with a graded exercise test to measure your peak fitness so staff can set a tailored heart-rate target for your supervised rehab sessions. Some patients will follow the usual approach of using how hard exercise feels and simple heart-rate rules, while others will get individualized intensity prescriptions based on the exercise test. Your activity and progress may be tracked with wearable devices and fitness measures over the course of the program. The team will compare improvements in fitness and activity to see whether the personalized approach helps older adults reach rehab goals.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help older adults gain more fitness, recover more fully after heart events, and better meet cardiac rehab benchmarks.
How similar studies have gone: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation and guideline-recommended exercise testing have shown benefits, but using individualized intensity prescriptions specifically in older adults is not well established and is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Baystate Medical Center, INC.
Springfield, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pack, Quinn Russell — Baystate Medical Center, INC.
- Study coordinator: Pack, Quinn Russell
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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.