Effects of a Nurse-Led Multicomponent Exercise Intervention for Haemodialysis Patients With Possible or Confirmed Sarcopenia: A Cluster Randomised Trial.

In 30 seconds

This cluster randomised trial evaluated a 12-week nurse-led multicomponent exercise programme in haemodialysis patients with possible or confirmed sarcopenia. Fifty-six participants were allocated to exercise plus standard care or standard care alone; 50 completed the study. The intervention group had favourable trends in handgrip strength, gait speed and short physical performance battery scores, with moderate-to-large effect sizes, but between-group differences were not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. No significant differences were found in skeletal muscle mass index, quality of life or C-reactive protein. No serious intervention-related adverse events were reported.

Key findings

• Fifty of 56 participants completed the trial.
• Handgrip strength, gait speed and physical performance showed favourable trends with moderate-to-large effect sizes, but differences did not remain statistically significant after Bonferroni correction.
• There were no significant between-group differences in skeletal muscle mass index, health-related quality of life or C-reactive protein.
• No serious intervention-related adverse events were reported.

Why it matters

Sarcopenia can affect muscle function and physical performance in people receiving haemodialysis. This trial suggests that a nurse-led exercise programme can be delivered without reported serious intervention-related harm, while offering preliminary signals of possible functional benefit. The lack of statistically significant between-group differences means the findings are not definitive, but they help inform further evaluation of exercise support in this population.

What to keep in mind

The study included 56 participants, and the intervention period was 12 weeks. Functional outcome differences were not statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons.