Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41500239›Full record

ArticleCirculation. Heart failure2026

Circulating Biomarkers as Predictors of Improvement in Physical Function in Hospitalized Older Adults With Geriatric Syndromes: Findings From the REHAB-HF Trial.

Abdulla A Damluji, Scott A Bruce, Gordon Reeves, Amy M Pastva, Alain G Bertoni, Robert J Mentz, David J Whellan, Dalane W Kitzman, Christopher R deFilippi

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Circulation. Heart failure, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02196038 (REHAB-HF), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT02196038 nacompletednot on this map

REHAB-HF: A Trial of Rehabilitation Therapy in Older Acute Heart Failure Patients

TypeinterventionalSponsorWake Forest University Health SciencesRan2014 to 2020Enrolled349ConditionsAcute Decompensated Heart FailureArmsmulti-domain rehabilitation intervention, Attention Control
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Abdulla A DamlujiThe Cardiovascular Center on Aging, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH (A.A.D.).ORCID 0000-0002-8774-6416
Scott A BruceDepartment of Statistics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. (S.A.B.).ORCID 0000-0002-7904-4211
Gordon ReevesDepartment of Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. (G.R.).ORCID 0000-0001-7329-8918
Amy M PastvaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. (A.M.P.).ORCID 0000-0002-0891-745X
Alain G BertoniDepartment of Internal Medicine, Sections of Cardiovascular Medicine and Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. (A.G.B., D.W.K.).ORCID 0000-0002-7503-6273
Robert J MentzDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. (R.J.M.).ORCID 0000-0002-3222-1719
David J WhellanDepartment of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA (D.J.W.).ORCID 0000-0002-6287-8690
Dalane W KitzmanDepartment of Internal Medicine, Sections of Cardiovascular Medicine and Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. (A.G.B., D.W.K.).ORCID 0009-0000-5274-0826
Christopher R deFilippiUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore (C.R.d.).ORCID 0000-0002-0660-4943

Funding

Resource Core 3 - Metabolomics CoreP30AG028716 · NIA · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI Sarah B. Peskoe · 2006 to 2026
$24.6M
REHAB-HF: A Trial of Rehabilitation Therapy in Older Acute Heart Failure PatientsR01AG045551 · NIA · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI KITZMAN, DALANE W · 2014 to 2018
$6.8M
Frailty and Resiliency in Older Adults with Acute Myocardial InfarctionK23HL153771 · NHLBI · INOVA HEALTH CARE SERVICES · PI DAMLUJI, ABDULLA AL · 2020 to 2024
$916k
NHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL153771NIA NIH HHS P30 AG028716NIA NIH HHS R01 AG045551
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBiomarkers in heart failure (HF) provide mechanistic and prognostic insights, but their role in predicting treatment response is less understood. We evaluated whether multiple baseline biomarker profiles from the REHAB-HF trial (Rehabilitation Therapy in Older Acute Heart Failure Patients) could stratify functional improvement following a 12-week physical rehabilitation intervention (RI).

methodsParticipants ≥60 years hospitalized with heart failure were randomized to a 12-week outpatient RI or attention control. Functional outcomes included changes in the short physical performance battery and 6-minute walk distance. Blood collected at baseline and 12 weeks was analyzed for cardiac (cTnI and cTnT, NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide]), renal (creatinine), and inflammatory (CRP [C-reactive protein]) biomarkers. Associations between baseline biomarker levels and 12-week functional gains by treatment group were evaluated using adjusted linear regression models and machine learning-based decision trees.

resultsBaseline biomarker data were available for 242 of 349 participants (69%). Using linear regression, higher cTnI and T were associated with greater 12-week gains in the short physical performance battery and 6-minute walk distance, respectively, among RI participants versus attention control (interaction

conclusionsHigher inflammation, measured by CRP, may identify older adults recently hospitalized for heart failure with the greatest functional benefit from a physical RI. Biomarker profiling may predict the benefits of this treatment. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02196038.

Indexed as

biomarkersdecision treesheart failureinflammationtroponin

Identifiers

PMID41500239
PMCPMC13101658

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.