Heart attack patient back to running again after cardiac health physical activity trial

KiActiv fitness digital service

Research teams at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) have collaborated with physical health experts at KiActiv to improve recovery rates for patients with serious cardiac conditions.

Nick Woosey, 59 from Liverpool, was offered the KiActiv fitness digital service by his clinicians as part of his recovery in a research trial aiming to improving cardiac rehabilitation. Nick was admitted to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital in 2022 following a cardiac arrest.

Nick said: “I don’t remember anything after I collapsed, I woke up 7 days later in the intensive care unit surrounded by people and machines.

“I was told what had happened to me and that my wife gave me CPR before I was picked up by ambulance. It was a terrifying time for us all as COVID-19 restrictions were in place and visiting wasn’t allowed.”

Nick, a lawyer and retired nurse, led an active lifestyle before he was taken ill and was keen to make sure he got back to running and exercising.

Following surgery, Nick was transferred to the cardiac rehabilitation team at LUHFT.

Dr Mike Fisher, Consultant Cardiologist at LUHFT, introduced the KiActiv digital service to Nick to aid his cardiac recovery alongside the standard recovery treatments.

Dr Fisher said: “Cardiac rehabilitation is vital part of a patient’s recovery from cardiac trauma. However, due to many different factors, it is not always incorporated in cardiac recovery as much as it could be.

“KiActiv offered a goal-led programme supported by a physiologist, that is based on a patient’s everyday life rather than having them to come into hospital and go on a treadmill or join a gym.  

“It calculates a person’s everyday activities and builds a programme that is achievable for them to do, ultimately getting them to a better level of fitness and aiding their cardiovascular health”.

KiActiv is an online platform with a wearable device that uses personalised data about a person’s everyday physical activity to help them learn how to optimise their daily movement and increase their fitness levels with the support of a trained Mentor.

Patients are supported with 1 to 1 telephone sessions with their Mentor, an exercise physiologist, who they can talk through their everyday movement, in the context of their health, capacity and environment, meaning patients do not need to come back into hospital to continue their rehabilitation.

The usual treatment for cardiac rehab includes a patient coming into hospital and either going on a static bike or treadmill. The KiActiv programme allows them to continue and build on their recovery with supported self-care at home, without the need to disrupt their lives by attending exercise sessions at a clinic or gym.

Barry Kevitt, 70 from Liverpool, also took part in the research trial for KiActiv following a heart attack that led him to have a Quadruple heart bypass at Broadgreen Hospital.

He said: “I wasn’t really into fitness before I became ill, and the idea of recovering after such a huge surgery was daunting.

“The KiActiv App gave me exercises as goals to achieve when I had no idea where to start. The team behind the programme were hugely supportive and I couldn’t have recovered as quickly if it wasn’t for the programme”.

Barry, an IT support technician spent over 28 years in New Zealand with his wife and children before returning to UK.

Now living in Rhyl, Wales with his wife, Barry continues his recovery by taking beach walks and cycling.

Barry said: “More than just the physical side of the recovery, KiActiv helped with mental side of things as well.

“During a really scary time, it gave me consistency and support to know what to do and when to do it. I would recommend this programme to anyone who is offered it.”

The KiActiv digital service is now being introduced into the heart failure virtual ward at LUHFT by Dr Rajiv Sankaranarayanan, consultant cardiologist at LUHFT and heart failure lead for Cheshire and Merseyside.

Dr Sankaranarayanan said: “We are excited to add to add KiActiv to our virtual ward offer for patients.

“Cardiac rehab is a vital component to recovery and as has already been explored by my colleague Dr Fisher, the KiActiv programme can have major benefits for patients.

“When we discharge a patient from hospital, we talk to them about KiActiv and offer this as part of their recovery. If a patient continues to stabilise, we then go on to link them with the team at KiActiv who begin to build a personalised programme.

“Historically, Cardiac rehab uptake is low because patients who suffer from heart conditions are very unwell. However, due to KiActiv offering a lifestyle-based programme, patients are more open to taking part as they are coached to make small lifestyle changes rather than taking too much of a leap into exercise.

“In the first 2 months of introducing KiActiv to our clinics, we have enrolled over 100 people which is much higher than the usual rate.”

The team at KiActiv have worked closely with the Innovation team and clinicians at LUHFT to bring this technology to patients.

“We’re very excited to continue our collaboration with LUHFT and build on our groundbreaking research with Dr Fisher, which has now been published in multiple international peer-reviewed journals.

“Working with Dr Sankaranarayanan will enable us to support pathway transformation for Heart Failure patients by improving the access and impact of rehabilitation, and to empower sustainable self-care.”

If you would like to find out more about research and innovation happening at LUHFT, visit their website.