Water Immersion in Chronic Stable Heart Failure (IMMERSE-HF)

NHS Trust

Status: Completed

Conditions: Heart Failure

Treatments: Other: water immersion

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02949544

R1996

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to investigate the effects of water immersion and exercise on heart function and blood flow in patients with chronic stable heart failure.

Enrollment: 27 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age >18
• Established diagnosis of heart failure with NTpro BNP >100

Exclusion criteria

• Uncontrolled or severe heart failure, defined by NYHA class IV symptoms (breathlessness at rest)
• Severe fluid overload characterised as more than minimal pitting oedema of the ankles only
• Presence of haemodynamically significant valvular heart disease in the opinion of the investigator
• Haemoglobin <125 g/L
• Weight >120 kilograms
• Requiring long term oxygen supplementation in the community
• Hospitalisation for any cause within the last 6 weeks, that in the opinion of the investigator would affect the patients wellbeing in this study
• Unstable or severe stable angina that requires three or more antianginals
• Patients known to have disease causing immunocompromise such as HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy
• Patients with active infection
• Dialysis patients
• Uncontrolled seizures; patients in whom the pool environment may trigger seizures, new diagnosis of epilepsy
• Insulin treated diabetic patients with hypoglycaemic episodes in the last 3 months.
• Pregnant women
• Central venous lines which are not tunnelled and are exposed superficially.
• Open access ports to lungs including tracheotomy sites
• Ventilation tubes for ears
• Nasogastric or gastrostomy tube in situ
• Presence of colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy.
• Presence of open, macerated, infected or non-intact skin or oedema with leakage of serous fluid.
• Skin condition such as severe eczema or psoriasis
• Any surgery or invasive devices fitted within the last 4 weeks
• Any form of mobility impairment requiring mobility aids (e.g. stick or wheelchair) or rendering patient unable to perform gentle exercises, including recent injury or trauma
• History of chlorine sensitivity
• Urinary or faecal incontinence
• Hydrophobia
• Unable to give consent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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27 participants in 1 patient group

water immersion

Other group

Description:

patients with heart failure will be immersed to the neck for 15 minutes

Treatment:

Other: water immersion