Sleep in Adults with Heart Failure

STUDY BASICS

Are you a UPMC patient who is age 60 or up and has been diagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)? If so, you may be able to participate in a research study to help better understand how poor sleep affects health outcomes in people with heart failure. This study will last about 1 week and involves 1 in-person study visit. Compensation provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a condition in which the heart muscle is stiff and cannot pump enough blood to the body. Symptoms of HFpEF include shortness of breath, weakness, weight gain, swelling, and other problems. In addition, many people with HFpEF have trouble sleeping, which can lead to poor quality of life and difficultly managing the disease. The purpose of this study is to help researchers learn more about sleep issues in people with HFpEF, and to better understand how sleep is related to heart function and health outcomes. Researchers hope their findings will lead to better interventions and improved health for people with HFpEF in the future.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• UPMC patients ages 60 and up
• Diagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, called HFpEF (if you are unsure which type of heart failure you have, study staff can assist you)
• Able to read, write, and understand English
• Do not have any other serious mental or physical health conditions

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Participation in this study lasts about 1 week and involves 1 in-person visit. Before your visit, you will have a brief phone call with study staff and will need to provide permission to the researcher to access your medical records to verify your diagnosis. During the in-person visit, you will have physical measurements, fill out questionnaires, and have the blood flow in your arm assessed through a cuff. Participants will also be asked to keep a sleep diary for 7 days, and will be provided with a device that is worn at home at night to assess your sleep and an activity monitor that is worn on the arm. At the end of the study, you will mail both devices and your sleep diary back to the study.