Trial reportBMJ open2025
Feasibility randomised controlled trial to assess the delivery of a novel isometric exercise intervention for people diagnosed with uncomplicated stage 1 hypertension in the National Health Service: key quantitative findings.
Trial report in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04936022 (Feasibility Study to Assess the Delivery of a Novel Isometric Exercise Intervention for People With Stage 1 Hypertension in the NHS), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Feasibility Study to Assess the Delivery of a Novel Isometric Exercise Intervention for People With Stage 1 Hypertension in the NHS
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Efficacy and Cost-Effective Treatment of Isometric Resistance Training for Blood Pressure Control: A Narrative Review in Healthy Individuals and People with Cardiovascular Diseases.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Review
- Randomised controlled effectiveness study (RCT) of isometric exercise (IE) in adults with stage 1 and 2 hypertension - ISOFITTER study.NIHR open research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of delivering personalised isometric exercise (IE) for people with stage 1 hypertension. Is it feasible to deliver an isometric wall squat intervention in the National Health Service and what sample size is required to conduct an appropriately powered effectiveness randomised controlled trial (RCT)?
designRandomised controlled open-label multicentre feasibility study of IE compared with standard care in unmedicated people with stage 1 hypertension.
settingInitially, the study aimed to recruit through primary care, but this process coincided with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we shifted focus to direct-to-public advertising and delivery in secondary care.
participantsPeople with unmedicated stage 1 hypertension aged over 18 able to perform IE were included. Patients were excluded if average home systolic blood pressure (sBP) <135 mm Hg; were unable to undertake the study intervention; had a previous history of diabetes mellitus, ischaemic heart disease, moderate-severe valvular heart disease, arrhythmia, stroke or transient ischaemic attack, aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease and uncorrected congenital heart condition; stage 3b chronic kidney disease or worse; heart failure; enrolled in another clinical trial; pregnant or breastfeeding. 41 participants (57±15 years), 59% women, were randomised.Intervention participants were randomised (1:1) to either standard lifestyle advice or an individualised isometric wall squat prescription, performed 4×2-min bouts three times a week for 6 months. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed deliverability, attrition, adherence and variance in blood pressure (BP) change.
resultsIE was found to be easily deliverable to all participants. At 6 months, 34% had withdrawn. Of those who completed IE, 85% of their sessions were at the correct intensity, meeting our retention criterion for success. Variance in BP change was 14.4 mm Hg. The study was not powered to show a difference in BP between groups; however, BP reductions were seen in the intervention group at all study time points compared with baseline. There were no adverse events related to study participation.
conclusionsWe met our a priori recruitment criteria which allowed us to calculate a sample size (n=542) for a full RCT. The results demonstrate good acceptability and adherence rates to the treatment protocol. Our results show a signal towards a consistent sBP reduction in the IE group compared with baseline. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04936022 (https://classic. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/ct2/show/NCT04936022?cond=isometric+exercise&draw=2&rank=7); registry identifier: ISRCTN 13472393.
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