Exercise with blood flow restriction for adults with and without chronic kidney disease

The Feasibility and Effects of Exercise Training Combined With Blood Flow Restriction Training on Exercise Capacity and Exercise Tolerance in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

This project will test whether adding blood flow restriction to aerobic and resistance exercise improves heart‑lung fitness and exercise ability in adults with chronic kidney disease and in healthy adults.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 120 (estimated)
• Ages: 20 Years to 85 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: National Cheng Kung University (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Tainan)
• Trial ID: NCT07288905 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Adults aged 20–85 with stable chronic kidney disease (eGFR <90 ml/min/1.73 m2 for over 3 months) and healthy volunteers will be enrolled at National Cheng Kung University Hospital. Participants will follow supervised aerobic and resistance exercise programs, with some sessions using blood flow restriction to allow lower training loads. Cardiopulmonary tests including VO2 peak and measures of exercise capacity will be taken before and after the intervention to compare effects. People with severe uncontrolled metabolic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or musculoskeletal conditions, recent infection, pregnancy, active cancer, pacemakers, bleeding tendency, or unstable vital signs are excluded.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults 20–85 years old who either have stable CKD (eGFR <90 ml/min/1.73 m2 for >3 months) or are healthy volunteers, and who can attend supervised sessions at the study site, are eligible if they do not meet exclusion criteria.

Not a fit: Patients with severe uncontrolled metabolic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or musculoskeletal disease, unstable vital signs, pregnancy, active cancer, recent infection, pacemakers, a tendency to bruise, or other exclusion conditions are unlikely to benefit or are not eligible.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, adding blood flow restriction could help people with CKD improve fitness, reduce fatigue, and preserve muscle while using lower exercise loads.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research shows exercise improves VO2 peak in CKD and that blood flow restriction can produce similar gains to high‑load training in older adults, but applying BFR specifically in CKD patients is less well studied.

Eligibility criteria

Healthy

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 20\~85 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe uncontrolled metabolic diseases (e.g., hyperthyroidism, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.)
* Severe pulmonary or cardiovascular diseases (e.g., pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia)
* Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or a history of myocardial infarction within the past six months
* Severe musculoskeletal or neuromuscular disorders (e.g., advanced arthritis, limb amputation, post-polio syndrome, Parkinson's disease)
* Unstable vital signs (e.g., systolic blood pressure ≥180 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, requiring vasopressors, or resting heart rate \>100 bpm)
* Prone to bruising
* Recent inflection \< 1 month
* Pregnancy
* Kidney function impairment
* Cancer
* Simultaneously participating in other research

CKD

Inclusion criteria:

* Aged 20\~85 years old
* eGFR\< 90 ml/min/1.73 m2 over 3 months
* Stable condition without worsening in the past 3 months
* Ability to understand and follow verbal commends and cooperate with an exercise training program

Exclusion criteria:

* Severe uncontrolled metabolic diseases (e.g., hyperthyroidism, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.)
* Severe pulmonary or cardiovascular diseases (e.g., pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia)
* Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or a history of myocardial infarction within the past six months
* Severe musculoskeletal or neuromuscular disorders (e.g., advanced arthritis, limb amputation, post-polio syndrome, Parkinson's disease)
* Unstable vital signs (e.g., systolic blood pressure ≥180 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, requiring vasopressors, or resting heart rate \>100 bpm)
* Abnormal blood biochemical parameters (e.g., white blood cell count \<2500/mm³, hemoglobin \<8 mg/dL, total bilirubin \>3 mg/dL, liver enzymes (GOT/AST, GPT/ALT) \>3 times the upper limit of normal, platelet count \<75,000/mm³
* Sensory or motor dysfunctions that affect walking ability
* Diagnosed systemic diseases under ongoing treatment (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, cancer, malignancies).

Where this trial is running

Tainan

• National Cheng Kung University Hospital — Tainan, Taiwan (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Kun-Ling Tasi, PhD — Department of Physical Therapy, National Cheng Kung University
• Study coordinator: Kun-Ling Tasi, PhD

Conditions Chronic Kidney Disease