Impact of Exercise Training on Ischemia With Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries (INOCA): The ExINOCA Study

Launched by BISPEBJERG HOSPITAL · Jul 29, 2024

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ClinConnect Summary

The ExINOCA Study is looking at why some people experience chest pain even when their heart arteries appear normal. This condition is known as coronary microvascular disease (CMD), which means the tiny blood vessels in the heart aren't working as well as they should. The study aims to find out if regular exercise can help improve the function of these small blood vessels and also reduce chest pain. Researchers believe that if the heart's microvascular function is reduced, it may also affect blood vessels in other parts of the body.

To participate in the study, you need to be between 18 and 262 years old and have signs of coronary microvascular dysfunction without any major blockages in your heart arteries. However, some people may not be eligible, such as those with severe heart failure or certain health conditions that would make it unsafe for them to exercise. If you join the study, you can expect to engage in a supervised exercise program and be closely monitored to see how your heart and other blood vessels respond to the training. This is an important opportunity to contribute to our understanding of CMD and explore how exercise might help improve heart health.

Gender

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Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Coronary microvascular dysfunction, defined as myocardial bloodflow reserve (MBFR) \< 2.5 or hyperemic myocar-dial blood flow (hMBF)\<2.3 ml/g/min using \[15O\]H2O-PET
• • No obstructive coronary artery disease
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Females of childbearing potential (defined as a premeno-pausal female capable of becoming pregnant). The female patient must either be postmenopausal, defined as amen-orrhea for at least 1 year, or surgically sterile
• • Heart failure, defined as left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 40%
• • Uncontrolled hypertension defined as blood pressure above target 140/90 for all
• • Co-morbidity resulting in \<1 year expected survival
• • Considered by the investigator, for any reason, to be an un-suitable candidate for the study.
• • Unable or unwilling to exercise, e.g. due to arthritis or in-jury\*
• • Already are regularly physically active and/or have a maxi-mal oxygen uptake \>45 ml/kg/min