Can the health of patients with Infective endocarditis (IE) be improved by participation in the physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation program? Participants will: * Be physically evaluated by a physiotherapist before and after the progam of physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation. * Do individual exercises in a group led by a physiotherapist 2 times weekly during 12 weeks. * Answer digitally surveys on the perceived health for 4 times during 1 year * Participate in interviews on patient's experiences of health and rehabilitation 1 time before and 2 times after the training program during I year.
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare but severe infectious disease of the heart. Patients with IE are treated for weeks in the hospital and have profound impairments of health for a long time after the treatment. Patients experience a delayed recovery after discharge both physically, with wasting and fatigue; and mentally, with anxiety and depression. Patients suffer from a diminished quality of life and have difficulties returning to work, up to a year post-discharge. Little is known about how patients perceive the IE disease after discharge and if patient's health can be promoted by rehabilitation since no studies have been able to evaluate the effect of interventions aimed at relieving these problems. The hypothesis is that physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation can improve physical capacity and reduce symptoms of fatigue. Other aspects of quality of life, mental health, self-rated health and the impact on anxiety and depression will also be studied. The investigators aim to study the intervention of physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation on the group of patients with IE. The patients with IE will be offered physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation according to the protocols of SEPHIA (Secondary Prevention after Heart Intensive Care Admission), as documented in SWEDEHEART(Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies). Individualized center-based evaluations according to the protocols are performed before and after the rehabilitation period. Exercises and training are performed in groups led by specialized physiotherapists 2 times per week for 12 weeks. Surveys on health-related quality of life, symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, depression, and occupational balance are digitally distributed at 4 occasions during 1 year after IE. Qualitative interviews will be used 3 times the first year to evaluate the effect and meaning of the program on health and well-being. Both the patients' physical improvements for 1 year after IE ( by physiotherapeutic testing) as well as the self-reported experiences of symptoms of fatigue and other aspects of health-related quality of life by surveys will be studied. The patients are also interviewed on expectations and experiences of the intervention and what the patients think is the optimal strategy to regain health. A mixed methods design is chosen to include both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the intervention. 50 patients treated for IE will be included in the study.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
Standard hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation according to SEPHIA and SWEDEHEART protocols 2 times a week for 12 weeks with individualized physical evaluation before and after the intervention.
Helena Lindberg
Halmstad, Halland County, Sweden
RECRUITINGQuantitative - 1. Changes from test 1 before start of physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation to test 2 at the end of the physical exercise training period and test 3 6-12 months after the end of the physical exercise training period.
1 Test of maximal workload (in Watt) and time (in minutes and seconds). Submaximal exercise capacity on a symptom-limited bicycle ergometer test with an increased workload of 25W every 4.5 minutes. The exercise test is discontinued at Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale 17 and/or dyspnea 7 at Borg´s CR-10 scale. Pre-exercise screening test is compared to the post-exercise tests.
Time frame: 18 months
Quantitative - 2. Changes from test 1 before start of physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation to test 2 at the end of the physical exercise training period and test 3 6-12 months after the end of the physical exercise training period.
2 Muscular endurance tests with a unilateral isotonic shoulder flexion and a unilateral isotonic heel lift(maximum number of repetitions). Pre-exercise screening test is compared to the post-exercise tests.
Time frame: 18 months
Quantitative - 3. Changes from test 1 before start of physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation to test 2 at the end of the physical exercise training period and test 3 6-12 months after the end of the physical exercise training period.
3 Changes in symptoms of fatigue assessed by the questionnaire Mental Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) survey. The MFI is a self-report instrument designed to measure symptoms of fatigue which consists of 20 items and, by which 5 dimensions can be calculated (General Fatigue (GF), Physical Fatigue (PF), Reduced Motivation (RM), Reduced Activity (RA) and Mental Fatigue (MF)). Pre-exercise screening test is compared to the post-exercise tests.
Time frame: 18 months
Quantitative - Degree of patient adherence to the program
Number of times in physical exercise-training within cardiac rehabilitation. Full adherence is set to 12 times during 16 weeks
Time frame: 16 weeks
Qualitative - Patients's experiences on cardiac rehabilitation
Qualitative content analysis of interviews before start of physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation, at the end of the physical exercise training period and 6-12 months after the end of the physical exercise training period. Descriptive.
Time frame: 0, 3 months, 6-12 months
Qualitative - Patients's experiences on post-infection health restoration
Qualitative content analysis of interviews 6-12 months after the end of the physical exercise training period. Descriptive.
Time frame: 6-12 months
Mixed method - Hindrances and possibilities for patients in participating after IE in physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation program
Qualitative interviews will be compared with quantitative data of participation and test result to describe and explain the findings.
Time frame: 12 months
Mixed method - Description and explanation on the health evolution the first year after IE among patients offered physical exercise training within cardiac rehabilitation program
Qualitative interviews will be compared with quantitative data of test results on physical capacity and health-related quality of life to describe and explain the findings.
Time frame: 12 months
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