Liver TransplantationNCT07327008
The Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation in Liver Transplant Patients
A study testing Telerehabilitation and Home exercise in people with Liver Transplantation and Telerehabilitation, run by Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
Liver transplantation is defined as a surgical procedure in which a liver with tissue damage and inability to perform its functions is replaced, in whole or in part, with a healthy liver obtained from a living or deceased donor. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Liver Transplantation, Telerehabilitation
- What is being tested?
- Telerehabilitation and Home exercise
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 58 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 1 Feb 2026to 30 Jul 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Being between 18-65 years of age and having undergone a liver transplant
- Having had a liver transplant operation at least 6 months prior
- Spontaneous breathing
- Hemodynamic stability
- Reading and writing skills
- Ability to mobilize independently, ability to follow verbal and visual instructions
Who cannot join
- Presence of unstable cardiovascular disease
- Presence of primary lung disease requiring regular bronchodilator treatment
- Presence of neuromuscular disease or neurological complications
- Musculoskeletal limitation/use of assistive devices
- Being a multiple organ transplant recipient
- Presence of orthopedic disability and functional capacity limitation
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Faculty of Health Sciences, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Laboratory
Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, 34500
Rüstem Mustafaoğlu, associate professor, +90 555 417 85 35, rustem.mustafaoglu@iuc.edu.tr
About this study
Official title: Investigation of the Effectiveness of the Telerehabilitation Program in Patients With Liver Transplantation
Liver transplantation is defined as a surgical procedure in which a liver with tissue damage and inability to perform its functions is replaced, in whole or in part, with a healthy liver obtained from a living or deceased donor. Post-transplantation treatment includes medical treatment, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation, an important component of liver transplantation management, consists of three phases: preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative. Telerehabilitation is currently defined as the control or monitoring of rehabilitation remotely using telecommunication-related technologies. Studies on telerehabilitation in liver transplant patients are insufficient in the literature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a telerehabilitation-based exercise program applied to liver transplant patients on exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength, peripheral muscle strength, fatigue level and quality of life.
Read the detailed description
Participants will be randomly divided into two groups: a telerehabilitation group and home exercise program group. Both groups will be evaluated before and after treatment (week 8). The telerehabilitation group will receive videoconference-based telerehabilitation three days a week for eight weeks. All exercises will be performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Each telerehabilitation session will last approximately 30-45 minutes. The exercises will be performed in the following order: breathing exercises, strengthening exercises, balance exercises, and walking exercises. The home exercise program group will receive an exercise brochure after the initial evaluation. Both groups will continue with their standard medical treatments, and a second evaluation will be conducted at the end of eight weeks. Participants' exercise capacity will be assessed using the "6-Minute Walk Test," fatigue level using "The Fatigue Severity Scale", respiratory muscle strength by measuring "Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP)" and "Maximal expiratory pressure (MEP)", muscle strength using a digital dynamometer, balance using the "Timed Up and Go Test," and quality of life using the "The Liver Disease Symptom Index 2.0"
- Conditions
- Liver Transplantation, Telerehabilitation
- Being tested
- Telerehabilitation, Home exercise
- Keywords
- liver transplantation, telerehabilitation, exercise, quality of life
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
TelerehabilitationOther
The telerehabilitation program will include breathing, strengthening, balance, and walking exercises, with increasing intensity week by week, and stretching exercises targeting major muscles will be given during the cool-down period.
Home exerciseOther
Patients will be given brochures on breathing, strengthening, balance and walking exercises and asked to perform them without a physiotherapist.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Telerehabilitation group | Experimental | The telerehabilitation group will receive videoconference-based telerehabilitation three days a week for eight weeks. All exercises will be performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Receives: Other: Telerehabilitation |
| Home exercise program group | Active comparator | Home exercise program group will initially be given instructions on the exercises and asked to perform them three days a week for eight weeks. They will be contacted by phone once a week to inquire whether they are doing the exercises. Receives: Other: Home exercise |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
6-Minute Walk Test
Exercise capacity will be assessed using the Six-Minute Walk Test, which plays an important role in evaluating pre- and post-operative exercise performance in liver transplant patients. The test will be conducted in a 30 m long, enclosed, straight corridor under the supervision of a physiotherapist, in accordance with the criteria set by the American Thoracic Society. The patients' heart rate and peripheral capillary oxygen saturation values will be recorded before, during, and after the test using a portable pulse oximeter. Dyspnea and perceived fatigue levels will be assessed using the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) during the test. The total walking distance completed in six minutes will be recorded in meters as the individual's six-minute walk distance
Measured: eight weeks
Timed Up and Go Test
Used to evaluate the balance performance of individuals during movement. The person sits in a chair of standard height (46 cm), a distance of 3 meters is measured from the chair and a cone is placed at the end of this distance to indicate it. After receiving the command "walk as fast as you can and sit back down in the chair," the person gets up, walks down the corridor for meters, turns around, walks back to the chair and sits down. The time from the moment of getting up from the chair until the person turns around and sits back down in the chair is measured with a stopwatch and recorded in seconds.
Measured: eight weeks
Secondary outcomes (4)
The Liver Disease Symptom Index 2.0
The Chronic Liver Disease Quality of Life Scale 2.0 will be used as a disease-specific measurement tool. It is a scale developed to objectively evaluate the clinical and psychological consequences on physical and daily living activities in chronic liver disease and to determine the severity of the disease. The Chronic Liver Disease Quality of Life Scale 2.0 , which has been applied in different stages of chronic liver diseases and psychometrically tested, evaluates the effects of symptoms on daily life as well as symptom severity. It is a useful and practical scale in clinical use, whose validity and reliability have been established in the Turkish population
Measured: eight weeks
The Fatigue Severity Scale
The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) is a nine-item self-administered scale. The scale correlates moderately well with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and is therefore a good tool for assessing the severity of fatigue. Patients are asked to choose a number from 1 to 7 indicating how much they agree or disagree with the statement. "1 point" indicates strong disagreement, "7 points" indicates strong agreement. A score of 4 and above generally indicates severe fatigue.
Measured: eight weeks
Respiratory Muscle Strength Measurement
Respiratory muscle strength will be assessed by measuring the maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), which are intraoral pressure measurements. The measurement will be performed using a portable intraoral pressure gauge with the maximal breathing method while the airway is closed with a valve.
Measured: eight weeks
Muscle Strength Measurement
This is a method used to measure muscle strength in patients. A La Fayette handheld digital dynamometer will be used during the test. To obtain isometric contraction during the test, the person performing the measurement is asked to hold the dynamometer steady while the person being tested applies maximum contraction against the device. The patient will be asked to hold the maximal isometric contraction for 5 seconds, followed by a 30-second rest interval and the same procedure will be repeated 3 times on the dominant side and the average of the measurement values will be recorded.
Measured: eight weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 Jan 2026
- Study start1 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jul 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Liver TransplantationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Istanbul University - CerrahpasaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- There are two groups: a telerehabilitation group and home exercise program group.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 58 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Alper AYAS, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07327008
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IUC-FTR-AA-01
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 24 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 12 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Investigation of the Effectiveness of the Telerehabilitation Program in Patients With Liver Transplantation
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07327008
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IUC-FTR-AA-01
- Conditions
- Liver Transplantation, Telerehabilitation
- Keywords
- liver transplantation, telerehabilitation, exercise, quality of life
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 58 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Istanbul University - CerrahpasaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 8 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Liver transplantation is defined as a surgical procedure in which a liver with tissue damage and inability to perform its functions is replaced, in whole or in part, with a healthy liver obtained from a living or deceased donor. Post-transplantation treatment includes medical treatment, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation, an important component of liver transplantation management, consists of three phases: preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative. Telerehabilitation is currently defined as the control or monitoring of rehabilitation remotely using telecommunication-related technologies. Studies on telerehabilitation in liver transplant patients are insufficient in the literature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a telerehabilitation-based exercise program applied to liver transplant patients on exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength, peripheral muscle strength, fatigue level and quality of life.
Detailed description
Participants will be randomly divided into two groups: a telerehabilitation group and home exercise program group. Both groups will be evaluated before and after treatment (week 8). The telerehabilitation group will receive videoconference-based telerehabilitation three days a week for eight weeks. All exercises will be performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Each telerehabilitation session will last approximately 30-45 minutes. The exercises will be performed in the following order: breathing exercises, strengthening exercises, balance exercises, and walking exercises. The home exercise program group will receive an exercise brochure after the initial evaluation. Both groups will continue with their standard medical treatments, and a second evaluation will be conducted at the end of eight weeks. Participants' exercise capacity will be assessed using the "6-Minute Walk Test," fatigue level using "The Fatigue Severity Scale", respiratory muscle strength by measuring "Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP)" and "Maximal expiratory pressure (MEP)", muscle strength using a digital dynamometer, balance using the "Timed Up and Go Test," and quality of life using the "The Liver Disease Symptom Index 2.0"
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- There are two groups: a telerehabilitation group and home exercise program group.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Telerehabilitation group | Experimental | Other: TelerehabilitationThe telerehabilitation group will receive videoconference-based telerehabilitation three days a week for eight weeks. All exercises will be performed under the supervision of a physiotherapist. |
| Home exercise program group | Active comparator | Other: Home exerciseHome exercise program group will initially be given instructions on the exercises and asked to perform them three days a week for eight weeks. They will be contacted by phone once a week to inquire whether they are doing the exercises. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Being between 18-65 years of age and having undergone a liver transplant
- Having had a liver transplant operation at least 6 months prior
- Spontaneous breathing
- Hemodynamic stability
- Reading and writing skills
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Presence of unstable cardiovascular disease
- Presence of primary lung disease requiring regular bronchodilator treatment
- Presence of neuromuscular disease or neurological complications
- Musculoskeletal limitation/use of assistive devices
- Being a multiple organ transplant recipient
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| TelerehabilitationThe telerehabilitation program will include breathing, strengthening, balance, and walking exercises, with increasing intensity week by week, and stretching exercises targeting major muscles will be given during the cool-down period. | Other | Telerehabilitation group |
| Home exercisePatients will be given brochures on breathing, strengthening, balance and walking exercises and asked to perform them without a physiotherapist. | Other | Home exercise program group |
Primary outcome
6-Minute Walk Test
Time frame: eight weeks
Exercise capacity will be assessed using the Six-Minute Walk Test, which plays an important role in evaluating pre- and post-operative exercise performance in liver transplant patients. The test will be conducted in a 30 m long, enclosed, straight corridor under the supervision of a physiotherapist, in accordance with the criteria set by the American Thoracic Society. The patients' heart rate and peripheral capillary oxygen saturation values will be recorded before, during, and after the test using a portable pulse oximeter. Dyspnea and perceived fatigue levels will be assessed using the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) during the test. The total walking distance completed in six minutes will be recorded in meters as the individual's six-minute walk distance
Timed Up and Go Test
Time frame: eight weeks
Used to evaluate the balance performance of individuals during movement. The person sits in a chair of standard height (46 cm), a distance of 3 meters is measured from the chair and a cone is placed at the end of this distance to indicate it. After receiving the command "walk as fast as you can and sit back down in the chair," the person gets up, walks down the corridor for meters, turns around, walks back to the chair and sits down. The time from the moment of getting up from the chair until the person turns around and sits back down in the chair is measured with a stopwatch and recorded in seconds.
4 secondary outcomes
The Liver Disease Symptom Index 2.0
Time frame: eight weeks
The Fatigue Severity Scale
Time frame: eight weeks
Respiratory Muscle Strength Measurement
Time frame: eight weeks
Muscle Strength Measurement
Time frame: eight weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 12 Jan 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Telerehabilitation and Home exercise in people with Liver Transplantation and Telerehabilitation, run by Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Alper AYAS, MSc (+90 505 952 63 15, alper.ayas@ogr.iuc.edu.tr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
6-Minute Walk Test (time frame: eight weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Jan 2026.