Exercise-based Cardiac Rehabilitation After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Older Adults with Aortic Stenosis A Study to Improve Physical Fitness and Quality of Life

What this Trial Is About

Aortic valve stenosis AS is the most common valve disease in older adults and often leads to high mortality if symptomatic. The main treatment improving survival is transcatheter aortic valve implantation TAVI, which allows many frail older patients with comorbidities to receive valve intervention. This study evaluates whether physiotherapist-led exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation PT-X after TAVI can improve physical fitness, physical activity, and health-related quality of life HR-QoL, while also examining frailty prevalence and hospital admissions during the first year after TAVI. Participants in the PT-X group will follow an individualized exercise program at a hospital-based setting, including central circulatory aerobic and muscular endurance training twice weekly for 60 minutes over 12 weeks, plus two home sessions tracked in an exercise diary. The control group will continue with their usual activities without this specific intervention. Exercise intensity is guided by perceived exertion on Borgs scale. The study compares the effects of PT-X versus no intervention on physical capacity and quality of life after TAVI. During the study, researchers will assess exercise capacity through tests measuring work capacity in watts, muscular endurance, physical activity levels, and HR-QoL at baseline, after 12 weeks, and at 12 months post-intervention. Frailty status and hospital admission rates will also be monitored over this time. These evaluations aim to understand how PT-X influences recovery and long-term health outcomes in older adults treated with TAVI.

Exercise-based Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Aortic Stenosis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation