The Effects of a Yoga Program in Heart Failure Patients
Condition: Heart Failure
MeSH terms: Heart Failure
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The proposed research will investigate the clinical outcomes associated with a modified yoga
      training program in patients with heart failure (HF). HF patients (15-20) will participate in
      a modified yoga program during an 8 week period, two times per week with instruction for home
      practice. Baseline measures and follow-up will be taken after 8 weeks. The underlying
      hypothesis to be tested is that yoga-induced improvements in nervous system and skeletal
      muscle function will yield positive effects on clinical outcomes, functional ability, and
      health-related quality of life in patients with HF.

      The effect of combined yoga and breathing training on the natural history of HF and its
      potential to decrease negative clinical outcomes and improve symptoms is unknown. The
      relevance of this research is related to the important information it will provide to
      clinicians caring for patients with HF and will be the basis for pilot data for future NIH
      funding applications.
    

Detailed description: 
      The proposed research project is a pilot study designed to delineate the clinical outcomes
      associated with a modified yoga program in a population of adults with ventricular
      dysfunction and clinical heart failure (HF). The researchers hypothesize that patients in a
      modified yoga training program will have a significant improvement in clinical outcomes,
      functional ability, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The researchers propose to
      evaluate 15-20 subjects with chronic HF and New York Heart Association Functional Class
      (NYHA) II-III and obtain baseline physiological, functional, and HRQOL measurements. After
      obtaining baseline measurements, patients will participate in a modified yoga program with
      instruction for home practice for 8 weeks. Baseline measurements include: Vital signs, oxygen
      saturation, heart rate variability, exercise distance, muscular strength and flexibility
      determination, and various indices of HRQOL. At the conclusion of 8 weeks of yoga training
      the same measurements will be obtained.

      In a group of chronic HF patients, the specific aims are the following:

        1. To develop a safe and feasible yoga program;

        2. To determine whether clinical outcomes (vital signs, oxygen saturation, heart rate
           variability), functional ability (exercise distance, muscular strength and flexibility
           determination), and HRQOL are positively affected by a modified yoga program.
    

Intervention name(s): Yoga Classes; Yoga classes
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 8 weeks of yoga training that occurs 2 times per week. The patients will also perform yoga breathing at home 3 times per week.; Heart failure patients will undergo 8 weeks of yoga training 2 times per week and perform yoga breathing at home 3 times per week
Other intervention name(s): breathing; pranyama
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: heart failure; yoga; quality of life