Feasibility of Breathwork Intervention With Older Adults After Knee Surgery

Part of paid clinical trials in Tucson, Arizona.

Sponsor
University of Arizona
Study ID
NCT07464860
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Breathing Exercises
  • Breathing Techniques
  • Cortisol
  • Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal
  • Postoperative Anxiety
  • Postoperative Depression
  • Postoperative Pain
  • Quality of Recovery (QoR-15)
  • Relaxation
  • Relaxation Therapy
  • Stress Physiological
  • Stress Physiology
  • Stress Psychological
  • Surgical Stress Response

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
65 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • A 5-minute Asynchronous Breathwork Intervention — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will be guided through the Box Breathing intervention with a pre-recorded YouTube video created by the PI. The video will be embedded into REDCap and delivered online asynchronously to provide flexibility and will be the same for all six sessions. The video will consist of a simple box pattern displayed on the screen with movement around the box that coincides with the PI's voiceover recording of the Box Breathing sequence. . Each session will be five minutes in length, with each section (e.g., inhalation, exhalation, breath retention) of the exercise lasting approximately four seconds. The sequence of each Box Breathing session is performed by breathing through the nose as follows: inhale for 4 seconds, hold the inhalation (lungs "full") for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold the exhalation (lungs "empty") for 4 seconds, and then return to inhaling for 4 seconds. Participants will be encouraged to exhale through the mouth if exhaling through the nose is not accessible.
  • A 5-minute Asynchronous Card Game Video — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will watch the TriPeaks video, a pre-recorded YouTube video created by the PI. The video will be embedded into REDCap and delivered online asynchronously to provide flexibility and will be the same for all six sessions. The video will consist of a screen recording of the PI playing the card game TriPeaks. Each session will be five minutes in length to match the Box Breathing intervention dosage and delivery.

Study Details

Postoperative complications after surgical procedures, including following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), have a negative impact on the health and well-being of surgical patients. Older adults (≥65 years) are particularly vulnerable to postoperative complications and their associated morbidities due to the biological aging process. Older adults comprise nearly half of surgical patients worldwide, and this number is expected to increase in the next 10-20 years as the aging population continues to grow. TKA is the most common procedure undergone by older adults, and the rate of TKA procedures is also expected to rise. Despite perioperative guidelines and protocols to prevent postoperative complications, the prevalence of postoperative complications following TKA is approximately 12%. Given these statistics, millions of older adults undergoing TKA may be at risk for postoperative complications and their associated morbidities in the coming decades. Therefore, additional interventions are needed to combat postoperative complications in this population. The body's natural response to surgery, also known as the surgical stress response (SSR), contributes to postoperative complications through complex mechanisms involving the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, or the body's fight-or-flight response, causes dysregulation in feedback systems that regulate the stress response, potentially leading to poorer outcomes. Interventions, such as breathwork, that induce the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), or the body's rest-and-digest response, have been shown to balance the ANS, regulate stress biology, and improve outcomes. This study will examine the feasibility of adding a breathwork intervention (Box Breathing), compared to an attention control, to standard perioperative care for older adults undergoing TKA. This study will also examine the proof of concept that Box Breathing, compared to an attention control, may help regulate the SSR by assessing an objective measure of stress-related biology, diurnal cortisol rhythm, and gathering self-report information on pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of recovery following TKA.

Key Dates

Start date
Jul 1, 2026
Status verified
Jul 2026
Primary completion
Oct 6, 2026
Completion
Nov 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
32 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Experimental: Experimental Group - Box Breathing Intervention
    Participants in this group will complete a 5-minute virtual Box Breathing session three times a day for two consecutive days following surgery on Postoperative Day 2 and 3. The Box Breathing intervention will be delivered asynchronously via a YouTube video created by the PI and accessed by participants via REDCap. Participants will also collect saliva samples three times per day (upon waking, 30 minutes after waking, and at bedtime) on Postoperative Day 2 and 3 to measure diurnal cortisol rhythm. Participants will fill out a 1-item survey about the Box Breathing session and a 1-item survey about saliva sample collection after each session and collection timepoint. Participants will also complete seven additional surveys regarding pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of recovery on the evening of Postoperative Day 3 after the final Box Breathing session.
  • Active Comparator: Attention Control Group - TriPeaks Video
    Participants in this group will complete a 5-minute virtual TriPeaks Video session three times a day for two consecutive days following surgery on Postoperative Day 2 and 3. The TriPeaks Video will be delivered asynchronously via a YouTube video created by the PI and accessed by participants via REDCap. Participants will also collect saliva samples three times per day (upon waking, 30 minutes after waking, and at bedtime) on Postoperative Day 2 and 3 to measure diurnal cortisol rhythm. Participants will fill out a 1-item survey about the TriPeaks Video session and a 1-item survey about saliva sample collection after each session and collection timepoint. Participants will also complete seven additional surveys regarding pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of recovery on the evening of Postoperative Day 3 after the final TriPeaks Video session.

Primary Outcome Measure

Study Feasibility via Recruitment [ Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 4.5 months ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
The University of ArizonaTucsonArizona85721
Devon E Cobos Garcia
[email protected]
904-477-7960

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By research site
The University of Arizona· Tucson, AZ

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