Robert Hayman, MD, assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Michigan Medicine, and colleagues at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, developed a novel Direct Activation Muscle, or DANC, for use in counteracting chronic exercise-induced vascular injury. Their paper is published in Circulation, the flagship journal of the American Circulation Society.
“For our study, we addressed the increasing problem of chronic exercise-induced vascular injury,” said Hayman, one of the pioneers in the use of Direct Activation Muscle technology for heart failure. “In the only important clinical practice I know of, we offer a DANC for stroke patients who did a maximal aerobic exercise test. The results were very promising.”
In this ADV ISCAMP study, 98 adults the age of 75 completed a 24-hour bout of exhaustive aerobic exercise, performing a 60- to 90-second bout of 80- to 90-second intervals (AD1 and DANC). After eight weeks, half of the participants did one hour of max (~55 minutes), and half did one hour of one 80- to 90-second (~40 minutes). Each participant was assigned to one of two groups: one group DANC (DI-Lamp) for 90 minutes, and a control arm DANC (MiniDance) for 30 minutes. Both groups were considered sedentary and monitored throughout the study to describe a sedentary lifestyle.
Surprisingly, both groups underwent a majority of normal exercise testing at the end of the monitored period. “Our results were quite surprising and did not incorporate expectations that the DiLLamp would be normal over the rest of the day,” said Hayman. He added that his team found that, during the research period, these subjects did not exercise at all.
“Consequently, our subjects had virtually no leisure time to enjoy a typical day in one of the most physically active countries in the world,” said Hayman.
The 1987 DANC C-section was used to sequentially assess the treatment effects of both groups on the newborns who were monitored throughout the procedure. “This can help scientists do clinical trials,” said Hayman.
Hayman believes that DI-Lamp is an effective, safe, and cost-effective means to treat heart failure, despite the potential for certain adverse effects.
As a cardiologist who treats both hypertensive and diabetic hypertensive patients with the DANC method, Hayman readily anticipates the feasibility of clinical trials. DANC has several advantages over traditional exercise, he noted, such as allowing for real-time assessment of the progression and demand of exercise responses to one’s energy levels.
Hayman’s group plans to conduct a prospective clinical trial with the potential for participants to have three to four trials per year.
Co-authors of the paper include: Amanda Tucker-Raber, PhD, Scott Weyeng, Marie Rossiter, Elaine Robertson, Cheryl Wigington, Dr. Gerald Peterson, and Edward Tuyville, all of St. Jude.
The DANC interstitial pump technique is highly touted by the cardiovascular field. Some commercial branded pump bikes, bespoke designs are available.