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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT07365501

Acute Effect of Nurse-assessed Remote Ischemic Preconditioning on Improving Vascular Parameters in Patients With Suspected Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

The PIRIC-FEp study will be a randomized clinical trial in sedentary patients with suspected heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Objectives: 1) To evaluate the acute efficacy of remote ischemic preconditioning performed by nurses, a noninvasive cardioprotective intervention that uses cycles of ischemia and reperfusion in the extremities, in improving vascular parameters.

Methodology: Patients will be recruited in Health Centers in the city. Those assigned to the intervention group will wear a self-administered blood pressure cuff, inflated to 220 mmHg for 5 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of deflation, in repeated cycles four times. The control group will receive no intervention. All participants will be examined, at baseline, 0 minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention. Different vascular parameters will be evaluated, including peripheral and central Systolic and Blood Pressure, peripheral and central Mean Arterial Pressure, peripheral and central Pulse Pressure, Heart Rate, Cardiac Output, Stroke Volume, Peripheral Vascular Resistance, aortic Pulse Wave Velocity and Augmentation Index normalized to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute. The study will be approved by an Ethics Committee, participants will be informed and will have to sign a written consent. The statistical analysis will include three phases: verification of randomization, use of covariance models for dependent variables, and sensitivity analysis with propensity score matching. All analyses will be performed on an intention-to-treat basis.

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Key information

Conditions

HF - Heart Failure Cardiovascular Diseases Heart Diseases Heart Failure

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Iván

Cuenca, 16001, Spain

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Signs and symptoms of Heart Failure (Clinical suspicion of Heart Failure)
  • Sedentary men and women (structured exercise <2 x 30 min/week).
  • Age ≥40 years
  • Written informed consent
  • Clinically stable for 6 weeks
  • Optimal medical treatment for ≥6 weeks.

Exclusion criteria

  • Non-cardiac causes of Heart Failure symptoms:
  • Significant valvular or coronary artery disease
  • Uncontrolled hypertension or arrhythmias
  • Primary cardiomyopathies
  • Significant pulmonary disease (FEV1<50% predicted, GOLD III-IV)
  • Inability to exercise or conditions that may interfere with exercise intervention.
  • Myocardial infarction within the last 3 months.
  • Patients with diabetes and/or peripheral vascular disease.
  • Comorbidity that may influence prognosis at one year.
  • Participation in another clinical trial

Treatment and study plan

Remote ischemic preconditioning

Procedure

Participants randomized to the remote ischemic preconditioning intervention group will receive a hand-held blood pressure device (Welch Allyn DuraShock™ DS45, NY, USA) to self-administer remote ischemic preconditioning. The cuff will be placed around the upper arm and inflated to 220 mmHg for 5 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of deflation, and this cycle will be repeated another three times. The arm on which participants will apply the PIR is the left arm. Participants will be supervised during the PIR session by a nurse to ensure that it is performed correctly.

Primary outcomes

  1. Systolic Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    he maximum arterial pressure during ventricular systole, measured at the brachial artery by the Mobil-O-Graph using oscillometric technology.

  2. Diastolic Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The minimum arterial pressure during ventricular diastole, measured at the brachial artery by the Mobil-O-Graph using oscillometric technology.

  3. Diastolic Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The average arterial pressure over the cardiac cycle, calculated by the Mobil-O-Graph from oscillometric pressure signals and systolic and diastolic blood pressure values.

  4. Pulse Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The difference between systolic and diastolic brachial blood pressure, calculated by the Mobil-O-Graph and reflecting the pulsatile component of arterial load.

  5. Heart Rate

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The number of heart beats per minute, determined by the Mobil-O-Graph from the time interval between consecutive oscillometric pulse waves.

  6. Central Systolic Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The estimated systolic pressure in the ascending aorta, derived by the Mobil-O-Graph through reconstruction of the central pulse wave from the brachial oscillometric signal.

  7. Central Diastolic Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The estimated diastolic pressure at the central (aortic) level, calculated by the Mobil-O-Graph using pulse wave analysis algorithms.

  8. Central Pulse Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The difference between estimated central systolic and diastolic blood pressure, calculated by the Mobil-O-Graph to represent aortic pulsatile pressure.

  9. Cardiac Output

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute, estimated by the Mobil-O-Graph from stroke volume calculations combined with heart rate.

  10. Stroke Volume

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The volume of blood ejected by the left ventricle per heartbeat, estimated by the Mobil-O-Graph using hemodynamic modeling based on pulse wave analysis.

  11. Peripheral Vascular Resistance

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    he resistance of the peripheral circulation to blood flow, estimated by the Mobil-O-Graph from calculated mean arterial pressure and cardiac output.

  12. Pulse Wave Velocity

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    The speed at which the arterial pulse wave propagates through the arterial tree, estimated by the Mobil-O-Graph as an indirect marker of arterial stiffness.

  13. Augmentation Index normalized to 75 bpm

    Time frame: Baseline, 0 Minutes post intervention, 30 minutes post intervention, 60 minutes post intervention and 24 hours post intervention

    An index quantifying the contribution of reflected pressure waves to central arterial pressure, estimated by the Mobil-O-Graph from the reconstructed central pulse wave and normalized to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Castilla-La Mancha

Other

Collaborators

  • Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Registry information

Acronym: PIRIC-FEp

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 26, 2026
Registry last updated
Mar 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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