Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Acute Hypoxia on RIght VEntRicular Function in Healthy Adults.

More and more people are engaging in sports in the mountains, including individuals with heart or lung diseases. At the same time, such diseases are becoming more common in Switzerland. At high altitude, less oxygen is available, which places stress on the body-particularly on the heart, which has to pump blood through the lungs. How the healthy heart, especially the right ventricle, responds to this stress is still not well understood. Therefore, this study investigates how the heart responds to simulated altitudes of 2,500 m and 4,000 m, both at rest and during light physical activity. The present investigation focuses on healthy individuals in order to establish a reference for future comparisons with patients suffering from cardiopulmonary diseases. The primary objective is to assess how right ventricular function changes under conditions of reduced oxygen availability. In addition, vital signs, changes in blood gases, oxygen levels in blood and tissue and shortness of breath are assessed. The "altitude" is simulated using a special gas mixture that participants inhale. Healthy participants undergo three altitude conditions (490, 2,500, and 4,000 m above sea level). The order of the altitude conditions is assigned at random. The aim is to better understand how the right ventricle and other parameters respond to low-oxygen conditions and how affected patients can be better supported in the future.

Effect of Acute Hypoxia on RIght VEntRicular Function in Asthma.

More and more people are engaging in sports in the mountains, including individuals with heart or lung diseases. At the same time, such diseases are becoming more common in Switzerland. At high altitude, less oxygen is available, which places stress on the body-particularly on the heart, which has to pump blood through the lungs. How the heart, especially the right ventricle, in people with asthma responds to this stress is still not well understood. Therefore, this study investigates how the heart responds to simulated altitudes of 2,500 m and 4,000 m, both at rest and during light physical activity in patients with asthma. The primary objective is to assess how right ventricular function changes under conditions of reduced oxygen availability. In addition, vital signs, changes in blood gases, oxygen levels in blood and tissue and shortness of breath are assessed. The "altitude" is simulated using a special gas mixture that participants inhale. Participants undergo three altitude conditions (490, 2,500, and 4,000 m above sea level). The order of the altitude conditions is assigned at random. The aim is to better understand how the right ventricle and other parameters respond to low-oxygen conditions and how affected patients can be better supported in the future.

Effect of Acute Hypoxia on RIght VEntRicular Function in HAPE.

More and more people are engaging in sports in the mountains, including individuals with heart or lung diseases. At the same time, such diseases are becoming more common in Switzerland. At high altitude, less oxygen is available, which places stress on the body-particularly on the heart, which has to pump blood through the lungs. How the heart, especially the right ventricle, in people with past HAPE responds to this stress is still not well understood. Therefore, this study investigates how the heart responds to simulated altitudes of 2,500 m and 4,000 m, both at rest and during light physical activity in patients with past HAPE. The primary objective is to assess how right ventricular function changes under conditions of reduced oxygen availability. In addition, vital signs, changes in blood gases, oxygen levels in blood and tissue and shortness of breath are assessed. The "altitude" is simulated using a special gas mixture that participants inhale. Participants undergo three altitude conditions (490, 2,500, and 4,000 m above sea level). The order of the altitude conditions is assigned at random. The aim is to better understand how the right ventricle and other parameters respond to low-oxygen conditions and how affected patients can be better supported in the future.

Effects of Normobaric Hypoxic Training in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)

Altitude training has been suggested to be of potential support to improve some chronic clinical conditions, especially metabolic conditions. Normobaric hypoxia represents a promising system to simulate altitude training, and its efficacy and safety have been suggested in different conditions, including diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) can characterized by metabolic alterations (including altered body composition, lipid and glycemic profile, etc.), and might benefit from aerobic training performed in simulated altitude training (i.e., normobaric hypoxia). Mild altitude training will be proposed (equal to about 2'500 m, 15% FiO2) and compared to a sham normobaric normoxia condition, during an 8-week 3 or 2 times per week 1-h aerobic training (walking) at 60-65% of maximum heart rate (HRmax). Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and metabolic profile will be investigated.