Lung Transplant G0 (LTGO): Improving Self-Management of Exercise After Lung Transplantation

Estimated costs, from thirty days prior to lung transplant up through six months post surgery, exceed 1 million dollars per patient and routine medical costs average approximately fifty thousand dollars per year thereafter. Prior to transplant, lung transplant recipients self restrict activity due to severe respiratory limitations, resulting in reduced muscle mass and qualitative changes in large skeletal muscles. After transplant, despite improved lung function, studies consistently report that lung recipients fail to reach predicted physical function and physical activity. Nearly seventy percent are at risk of developing hypertension within the first five years due to side effects of immunosuppression and an inactive lifestyle worsens this risk. Consequently, full benefits of transplant may not be achieved. Few studies have tested ways to engage lung recipients in self management of exercise and adopt an active lifestyle. Lung Transplant Go LTGO is a behavioral exercise intervention that provides individualized exercise training integrated with behavioral coaching delivered in the recipient's home. Exercise training will focus on assisting lung recipients to learn and practice exercises to reverse muscle conditioning. Behavioral coaching will assist them to develop the skills to self manage physical activity in daily life and maintain this as a sustained habit using strategies that include incremental goal setting, self-monitoring, feedback and problem solving.

This is a two-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing LTGO to enhanced usual care (EUC). Based on estimations using a published RCT, effect sizes measured by Cohen's d ranged from 0.64 to 1.45 across outcome variables (i.e., 0.64 for physical function; 0.73-0.99 for physical activity; and 1.19 and1.45 for systolic and diastolic BP with 80% power, α=0.05). With a final sample of 80 subjects (40 per group) we will have 80% power to detect an effect size as small as 0.64 (α=0.05, two-tailed) from independent sample t-test for measures of physical function, physical activity and hypertension onset/control. Recruiting and randomizing 112 individuals (56 in LTGO \& 56 in EUC) will allow for up to 30% attrition. Participants will be randomized to LTGO or EUC (1:1). The biostatistician will randomize participants using a blocked randomization scheme, stratified by sex (male vs. female) and length of hospital stay (≤2 wks vs.\>2 wks). The block size (2 or 4) will be randomly selected to prevent prediction of group assignment. An "intention-to-treat" (ITT) approach will be used. All subjects will be analyzed in the group to which they were randomly assigned, regardless of adherence to the protocol, treatment received, and/or withdrawal from the protocol. Endorsed by international regulatory guidelines, the ITT approach is widely used in RCT because it minimizes the potential for the introduction of biases into data analysis and maintains prognostic balance generated from original random treatment allocation. Although the ITT approach is recommended for efficacy analysis in RCTs, the sensitivity of the results assumes that ITT will be explored using information collected regarding fidelity and dosage (e.g., number of sessions completed).

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 years of age or older

  -\>4 weeks after the participant had lung transplant surgery
* Discharged from the hospital after your lung transplant surgery
* MD report of difficulty walking ¼ mile or climbing 10 steps without resting
* Medical monitor approves patient eligibility for participation

Exclusion Criteria:

* concurrent participation in a formal exercise program, e.g., pulmonary rehabilitation, during the active eligible study period with no plans to stop formal exercise
* having other chronic conditions that may severely limit participation in exercise training, i.e., cardiac, musculoskeletal or cognitive impairments
* does not have home internet or smart device with Bluetooth capabilities
* medical issue precluding participation
* declining to be asked screening questions, or declining an introduction to the research team to hear about research
* greater than 18 months post-transplant hospital discharge (time/scheduling delays, transportation issues, etc.)