REVIVE-HF: rehabilitation with immersive virtual reality and exercise in hospitalized patients with heart failure—a randomized controlled trial protocol

TL;DR

This study tests if using virtual reality during exercise improves tolerance in heart failure patients in the hospital.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach combining immersive virtual reality with aerobic exercise for hospitalized heart failure patients.

Findings

VR may increase exercise tolerance in heart failure patients during supervised sessions.

The study will assess perceived exertion, hemodynamic parameters, and enjoyment of exercise with VR.

Results could support VR as a tool to enhance cardiac rehabilitation adherence and safety.

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition characterized by significant functional limitations, with exercise intolerance as a major determinant of reduced quality of life. Supervised aerobic exercise is a core intervention in cardiac rehabilitation, yet adherence and tolerance may be hindered by physical and motivational factors. Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) have shown potential to increase engagement and positive perceptions during exercise. This study aims to evaluate the influence of VR on tolerance to cycle-ergometer aerobic exercise in hospitalized patients with HF.

We will conduct a randomized, controlled, parallel-group trial with 1:1 allocation. Adult inpatients with a diagnosis of HF will be screened for eligibility and randomly assigned to two groups: control (cycle-ergometer aerobic exercise) and intervention (the same exercise combined with an Meta Quest 2 VR device). Each participant will complete a single session of up to 20 min, consisting of five blocks of 3 min of continuous pedaling interspersed with one-minute passive rests, with early termination in case of intolerance. The primary outcome is effective exercise time (minutes) until interruption due to physical limitation or symptoms. Secondary outcomes include rating of perceived exertion, hemodynamic parameters, exercise enjoyment (PACES) and usability of the technology (SUS, intervention group only).

This study will investigate whether VR can improve tolerance to aerobic exercise during hospitalization for HF, potentially providing preliminary evidence to guide the use of immersive technologies in cardiac rehabilitation. If benefits are observed, VR could be incorporated as a complementary tool to optimize adherence, motivation and safety in supervised exercise programs in this clinical context.

The trial was registered in the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBEC), under the identifier RBR-4hrmkzz, on March 11, 2022.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-026-09430-y.

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