The Influence of Cardiorespiratory Fitness on Firefighter Cardiovascular Health Under Exercise Conditions

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Cardiovascular Diseases, Post-Exercise Hypotension

In brief

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the number one cause of on-duty firefighter death. It is most likely to occur in adults who are not physically fit that engage in sudden vigorous exercise. Cardiorespiratory physical fitness (also known as aerobic fitness) is a major heart disease risk factor. In FIT and FIRED UP, the study investigators looked at the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on blood pressure, heart rate, and other heart markers taken from the blood before and after a vigorous exercise test to maximal effort among firefighters from a local fire department in Connecticut. In addition, the investigators also looked at how lifestyle habits including physical activity, nutrition, stress, and sleep may influence our findings. It was hypothesized that aerobically fit firefighters would show less stress on their heart than unfit firefighters.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04514354

Run by

University of Connecticut

People needed

21

Starts

2015-04-01

Expected to finish

2016-01-01

Last updated by the study team

2020-08-14

Who can join

Age: 21 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Subjects had to be full active duty firefighters employed by the local fire department in central Connecticut (CT).
• Subjects confirmed that they were taking the same medication for four weeks prior to Visit 1 and continued taking that medication throughout the duration of the study.

You may not qualify if…

• Subjects were excluded from the study if they were not able to comply with all study procedures as described in Visit 1, or in the event of injury or illness that would not enable them to participate.
• If subjects had resting blood pressure readings that were > 160 for systolic blood pressure and/or ≥ 100 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure, they were excluded from the study and referred to their primary care physician for follow up.
• Subjects that were excluded from the study were not penalized in any way by the researchers or the administrators of the local fire department.

Where it is running

• Hartford Hospital — Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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