High oxygen delivery to preserve exercise capacity in IPF patients treated with nintedanib: The HOPE-IPF Study

Purpose of trial

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a structured evidence-based exercise and education intervention that is recommended for most patients with IPF. Pulmonary rehabilitation improves functional capacity (6-minute walk distance [6MWD]), breathlessness and quality of life in patients, however these benefits are often modest and only temporary. Nintedanib is an antifibrotic medication that has been shown to slow the decline of lung function. Use of antifibrotic medications in the pulmonary rehabilitation setting may therefore allow prolonged benefit of exercise training by preventing IPF progression and the resulting worsening symptoms and functional decline. Unpublished data suggest that breathing 60% oxygen in a pulmonary rehabilitation setting could enable patients to train at higher exercise intensities and thus derive greater physiological adaptations and clinical benefits compared with traditional pulmonary rehabilitation.

This is a randomized, blinded study with two arms (standard of care or 60% oxygen). The decision to start or stop treatment with nintedanib will be made by the participants treating physician based on clinical findings. If the treating physician decides to discontinue nintedanib, the participant will be allowed to continue in the study.

The exercise training program is 8 weeks long, with visits 3 times a week. In addition to the exercise training there are 13 visits occurring before, during and after the 8 week exercise training program. At study visits, participants will be required to conduct a 6 minute walk test and complete a quality of life questionnaire. Select study visits will also require lung function tests and exercise tests to be conducted.

Eligibility

You can participate in this study if you have been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and your doctor has decided to start you on nintedanib.