ATC Abstracts

American Transplant Congress abstracts

  • Home
  • Meetings Archive
    • 2022 American Transplant Congress
    • 2021 American Transplant Congress
    • 2020 American Transplant Congress
    • 2019 American Transplant Congress
    • 2018 American Transplant Congress
    • 2017 American Transplant Congress
    • 2016 American Transplant Congress
    • 2015 American Transplant Congress
    • 2013 American Transplant Congress
  • Keyword Index
  • Resources
    • 2021 Resources
    • 2016 Resources
      • 2016 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2016 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2015-2016
      • AST Board of Directors 2015-2016
    • 2015 Resources
      • 2015 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2015 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2014-2015
      • AST Board of Directors 2014-2015
      • 2015 Conference Schedule
  • Search

Introducing the Smartphone App, EL-FIT (Exercise & Liver FITness), to Help Monitor and Prehabilitate Liver Transplant Candidates

A. Duarte-Rojo1, P. M. Bloomer1, R. J. Rogers2, M. A. Dunn1, E. B. Tapper3, R. Bataller1, C. B. Hughes1, A. A. Ferrando1, W. R. Kim4, J. M. Jakicic2

1University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 2University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 3University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 4Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: 49

Keywords: Liver cirrhosis, Prognosis, Risk factors, Waiting lists

Session Information

Session Name: Liver: Portal Hypertension and Other Complications of Cirrhosis

Session Type: Oral Abstract Session

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020

Session Time: 3:15pm-4:45pm

 Presentation Time: 3:39pm-3:51pm

Location: Virtual

*Purpose: Physical activity is key to liver transplant (LT) prehabilitation, and leveraging technologies to monitor physical performance and to generalize training may be advantageous. EL-FIT is a novel app linked to personal activity trackers (PAT), which continuously monitor steps and heart rate, and delivers educational/exercising videos (5 sections, 4-7 videos per section). Through a proprietary algorithm, EL-FIT can allocate training intensity and it includes multiple motivational features to incentivize its users to become more physically active. We aimed to determine the usability of EL-FIT in 25 LT candidates over 4 to 6 weeks.

*Methods: We compared the EL-FIT stratification algorithm to that of our LT physical therapist (LT-PT) across 3 intensities: strength & mobility, low and moderate intensity; and determined whether patients exercised with EL-FIT videos and interacted with EL-FIT features. PAT-collected step count and heart rate was reviewed, along with achievements, including rate of perceived exertion (RPE) following exercising with a video, and delivered heart (moderate exercise 28-min/day), silver-foot and gold-foot badges (surpassing step goal for 5 days/week during 1 or 2 weeks, respectively).

*Results: Age was 59±7 years (56% male, BMI 33±6), MELD-Na 19±4, with Child C in 52%. No patient had overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE), but 95% had minimal HE. Agreement between EL-FIT and LT-PT allocation was 92% (2 patients allocated to a lower intensity level by EL-FIT). Frailty was present in 16% by liver frailty index (LFI) and in 29% by 6-min walk test (6MWT). Video interaction was documented for 22 participants (92%), each watching 3 to 109 videos, with 21 reporting intensity of exercise via emoji-RPE. A video section was completed by 18 participants, and 10 [42%] executed the whole section of corresponding intensity. EL-FIT database successfully collected step counts and heart rate for an average of 36 days/patient. Based on step count performance, 9 patients received heart badges (from 2 to 71 each), and 13 and 9 received silver/gold-foot badges (from 1 to 12 each). Frail patients did not receive less badges when frailty was defined by LFI, although they did receive less silver/gold-foot badges when defined by 6MWT (p=0.02).

*Conclusions: A technology such as EL-FIT can be used to successfully educate LT candidates on physical function and facilitate training, in spite of a high prevalence of decompensation and minimal HE. This type of technology appears to safely allocate exercise intensity, compared to what would be allocated with LT-PT. Thus, EL-FIT provides a promising technology that can be applied to LT candidates to monitor, and potentially enhance physical activity, within the context of LT prehabilitation.

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Duarte-Rojo A, Bloomer PM, Rogers RJ, Dunn MA, Tapper EB, Bataller R, Hughes CB, Ferrando AA, Kim WR, Jakicic JM. Introducing the Smartphone App, EL-FIT (Exercise & Liver FITness), to Help Monitor and Prehabilitate Liver Transplant Candidates [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/introducing-the-smartphone-app-el-fit-exercise-liver-fitness-to-help-monitor-and-prehabilitate-liver-transplant-candidates/. Accessed May 16, 2025.

« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress

Visit Our Partner Sites

American Transplant Congress (ATC)

Visit the official site for the American Transplant Congress »

American Journal of Transplantation

The official publication for the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) »

American Society of Transplantation (AST)

An organization of more than 3000 professionals dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation. »

American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)

The society represents approximately 1,800 professionals dedicated to excellence in transplantation surgery. »

Copyright © 2013-2025 by American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Cookie Preferences