'Effects of a home-based bimodal lifestyle intervention in frail patients with end-stage liver disease awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation': study protocol of a non-randomised clinical trial.

Introduction: Patients with end-stage liver disease awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) are generally classified as frail due to disease-related malnutrition and a progressive decline in musculoskeletal and aerobic fitness, which is associated with poor pre-OLT, peri-OLT and post-OLT outcomes. However, frailty in these patients may be reversable with adequate exercise and nutritional interventions.

Methods And Analysis: Non-randomised clinical trial evaluating the effect of a home-based bimodal lifestyle programme in unfit patients with a preoperative oxygen uptake (VO) at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold ≤13 mL/kg/min and/or VO at peak exercise ≤18 mL/kg/min listed for OLT at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG).