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Vetrovsky T, Siranec M, Frybova T, Gant I, Svobodova I, Linhart A, Parenica J, Miklikova M, Sujakova L, Pospisil D, Pelouch R, Odrazkova D, Parizek P, Precek J, Hutyra M, Taborsky M, Vesely J, Griva M, Semerad M, Bunc V, Hrabcova K, Vojkuvkova A, Svoboda M, Belohlavek J. Lifestyle Walking Intervention for Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The WATCHFUL Trial. Circulation 2024; 149:177-188. [PMID: 37955615 PMCID: PMC10782943 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.123.067395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physical activity is pivotal in managing heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and walking integrated into daily life is an especially suitable form of physical activity. This study aimed to determine whether a 6-month lifestyle walking intervention combining self-monitoring and regular telephone counseling improves functional capacity assessed by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with stable heart failure with reduced ejection fraction compared with usual care. METHODS The WATCHFUL trial (Pedometer-Based Walking Intervention in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction) was a 6-month multicenter, parallel-group randomized controlled trial recruiting patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction from 6 cardiovascular centers in the Czech Republic. Eligible participants were ≥18 years of age, had left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, and had New York Heart Association class II or III symptoms on guidelines-recommended medication. Individuals exceeding 450 meters on the baseline 6MWT were excluded. Patients in the intervention group were equipped with a Garmin vívofit activity tracker and received monthly telephone counseling from research nurses who encouraged them to use behavior change techniques such as self-monitoring, goal-setting, and action planning to increase their daily step count. The patients in the control group continued usual care. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the distance walked during the 6MWT at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included daily step count and minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity as measured by the hip-worn Actigraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer, NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein biomarkers, ejection fraction, anthropometric measures, depression score, self-efficacy, quality of life, and survival risk score. The primary analysis was conducted by intention to treat. RESULTS Of 218 screened patients, 202 were randomized (mean age, 65 years; 22.8% female; 90.6% New York Heart Association class II; median left ventricular ejection fraction, 32.5%; median 6MWT, 385 meters; average 5071 steps/day; average 10.9 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day). At 6 months, no between-group differences were detected in the 6MWT (mean 7.4 meters [95% CI, -8.0 to 22.7]; P=0.345, n=186). The intervention group increased their average daily step count by 1420 (95% CI, 749 to 2091) and daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity by 8.2 (95% CI, 3.0 to 13.3) over the control group. No between-group differences were detected for any other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Whereas the lifestyle intervention in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction improved daily steps by about 25%, it failed to demonstrate a corresponding improvement in functional capacity. Further research is needed to understand the lack of association between increased physical activity and functional outcomes. REGISTRATION URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03041610.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Vetrovsky
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic (T.V., M. Semerad, V.B.)
| | - Michal Siranec
- 2nd Department of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic (M. Siranec, T.F., I.G., I.S., A.L., J.B.)
| | - Tereza Frybova
- 2nd Department of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic (M. Siranec, T.F., I.G., I.S., A.L., J.B.)
| | - Iulian Gant
- 2nd Department of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic (M. Siranec, T.F., I.G., I.S., A.L., J.B.)
| | - Iveta Svobodova
- 2nd Department of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic (M. Siranec, T.F., I.G., I.S., A.L., J.B.)
| | - Ales Linhart
- 2nd Department of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic (M. Siranec, T.F., I.G., I.S., A.L., J.B.)
| | - Jiri Parenica
- Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (J.P., M.M., L.S., D.P.)
| | - Marie Miklikova
- Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (J.P., M.M., L.S., D.P.)
| | - Lenka Sujakova
- Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (J.P., M.M., L.S., D.P.)
| | - David Pospisil
- Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (J.P., M.M., L.S., D.P.)
| | - Radek Pelouch
- 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Cardioangiology, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic (R.P., D.O., P.P.)
| | - Daniela Odrazkova
- 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Cardioangiology, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic (R.P., D.O., P.P.)
| | - Petr Parizek
- 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Cardioangiology, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University in Prague and University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic (R.P., D.O., P.P.)
| | - Jan Precek
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic (J.P., M.H., M.T.)
| | - Martin Hutyra
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic (J.P., M.H., M.T.)
| | - Milos Taborsky
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic (J.P., M.H., M.T.)
| | - Jiri Vesely
- Edumed sro, Broumov, and Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic (J.V.)
| | - Martin Griva
- Department of Cardiology, Tomas Bata Regional Hospital, Zlin, Czech Republic (M.G.)
| | - Miroslav Semerad
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic (T.V., M. Semerad, V.B.)
| | - Vaclav Bunc
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic (T.V., M. Semerad, V.B.)
| | - Karolina Hrabcova
- Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Ltd, Brno, Czech Republic (K.H., A.V., M. Svoboda)
| | - Adela Vojkuvkova
- Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Ltd, Brno, Czech Republic (K.H., A.V., M. Svoboda)
| | - Michal Svoboda
- Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Ltd, Brno, Czech Republic (K.H., A.V., M. Svoboda)
| | - Jan Belohlavek
- 2nd Department of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic (M. Siranec, T.F., I.G., I.S., A.L., J.B.)
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