Early 4‐Week Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Training in Elderly Patients After Heart Surgery Determining the minimal clinically important difference for the six-minute walk test and the 200-meter fast-walk test during cardiac rehabilitation program in coronary artery disease patients after acute coronary syndrome. Cardiac rehabilitation in chronic heart failure: effect of an 8-week, high-intensity interval training versus continuous training. Randomized trial of Nordic walking in patients with moderate to severe heart failure. Alexithymia in respiratory rehabilitation Home-Based Versus In-Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation After Cardiac Surgery: A Nonrandomized Controlled Study Six-minute-walk test in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: test validation and minimal clinically important difference. Reproducibility of the 6-Minute Walk Test for Ambulatory Oxygen Prescription Validity and reliability of the modified shuttle walk test in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Usefulness of the 6-minute walk test and the 200-metre fast walk test to individualize high intensity interval and continuous exercise training in coronary artery disease patients after acute coronary syndrome: a pilot controlled clinical study
PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the effects on exercise performance of supplementing a st and ard cardiac rehabilitation program with additional exercise programming compared to the st and ard cardiac rehabilitation program alone in elderly patients after heart surgery . METHODS In this prospect i ve , r and omized controlled trial , 60 patients ( 32 men and 28 women , mean age 73.1 ± 4.7 years ) completed cardiac rehabilitation ( initiated 12.2 ± 4.9 days postsurgery ) . Subjects were assigned to either a control group ( CG , st and ard cardiac rehabilitation program [ n = 19 ] ) , or an intervention group ( IG , additional walking [ n = 19 ] , or cycle ergometry training [ n = 22 ] ) . A symptom limited cardiopulmonary exercise test and 6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) were performed before and after 4 weeks of cardiac rehabilitation . The MacNew question naire was used to assess quality of life ( QOL ) . RESULTS At baseline , no significant differences for peak oxygen uptake ( & OV0312;O2 ) , maximal power output , or the 6MWT were detected between IG and CG . Global QOL was significantly higher in IG . After 4 weeks of cardiac rehabilitation , patients significantly improved in absolute values of the cardiopulmonary exercise test , 6MWT , and QOL scores . Significant differences between groups were found for peak & OV0312;O2 ( IG : 18.2 ± 3.1 mL·kg−1·min−1 vs. CG : 16.5 ± 2.2 mL·kg−1·min−1 , P < .05 ) ; maximal power output ( IG : 72.2 ± 16 W vs. CG : 60.7 ± 15 W , P < .05 ) ; 6MWT ( IG : 454.8 ± 76.3 m vs. CG : 400.5 ± 75.5 m , P < .05 ) ; and QOL global ( IG : 6.5 ± 0.5 vs. CG : 6.3 ± 0.6 , P < .05 ) . CONCLUSION The supplementation of additional walking or cycle exercise training to st and ard cardiac rehabilitation programming compared to st and ard cardiac rehabilitation alone in elderly patients after heart surgery leads to significantly better exercise tolerance OBJECTIVE To estimate the minimal clinical ly important difference ( MCID ) for the 6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) and the 200-m fast-walk test ( FWT ) in patients with coronary artery disease ( CAD ) during a cardiac rehabilitation program . DESIGN Prospect i ve study using distribution- and anchor-based methods . SETTING Out patients from a cardiac rehabilitation unit . PARTICIPANTS Stable patients with CAD ( N=81 ; 77 men ; mean±SD age , 58.1±8.7y ) enrolled 31±12.1 days after an acute coronary syndrome ( ACS ) . INTERVENTIONS Not applicable . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES  6MWT and 200-m FWT results before and after an 8-week cardiac rehabilitation program and at the 6th and 12th sessions . Patients and physiotherapists who supervised the training were asked to provide a global rating of perceived change in walking ability while blinded to changes in walk test performances . RESULTS Mean change in 6MWT distance ( 6MWD ) in patients who reported no change was -6.5 m versus 23.3 m in those who believed their performance had improved ( P<.001 ) . This result was consistent with the MCID determined by using the distribution method ( 23 m ) . Considering a 25-m cutoff , positive and negative predictive values were 0.9 and .63 , respectively . Conversely , there was no difference in 200-m FWT performance between these 2 groups ( 0.1 vs -1.4s , respectively ) . There was poor agreement with the physiotherapist 's perceived change . CONCLUSIONS The MCID for 6MWD in patients with CAD after ACS was 25 m . This result will help physicians interpret 6MWD change and help research ers estimate sample sizes in further studies using 6MWD as an endpoint OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of an 8-week , high-intensity interval training protocol versus continuous training . DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . SETTING Cardiac rehabilitation center . PARTICIPANTS Patients ( N=26 ; mean age ± SD , 54±12y ) with chronic heart failure were enrolled in a cardiac rehabilitation program for 8 weeks . INTERVENTIONS Patients were r and omly assigned into 2 groups that performed either interval training ( IT ) or continuous training ( CT ) . IT consisted of 3 sessions of 12 repetitions of 30 seconds of exercise at very high intensity , followed by 60 seconds of complete rest . The CT group performed CT exercises , which consisted of 45 minutes of aerobic exercise . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Parameters of gas exchanges : peak oxygen consumption ( Vo(2)peak ) , first ventilator threshold ( VT1 ) , distance at six-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) , and level of anxiety and depression were measured . RESULTS The IT group increased significantly their Vo(2)peak , the duration of the exercise test , the oxygen pulse , oxygen consumption at the VT1 , and the distance walked during the 6MWT . The CT group only increased the time at the VT1 and the distance performed at the 6MWT . The improvement in the time at the VT1 was significantly higher for the IT group than for the CT group . CONCLUSIONS This study shows that IT at very high intensity for patients with heart failure appears to be more effective than CT in improving indices of submaximal exercise capacity BACKGROUND Patients with heart failure are a growing population within cardiac rehabilitation . The purpose of this study was to compare , through a single-centre , parallel-group , r and omized controlled trial , the effects of Nordic walking and st and ard cardiac rehabilitation care on functional capacity and other outcomes in patients with moderate to severe heart failure . METHODS Between 2008 and 2009 , 54 patients ( aged 62.4 ± 11.4 years ) with heart failure ( mean ejection fraction = 26.9 % ± 5.0 % ) were r and omly assigned to st and ard cardiac rehabilitation care ( n = 27 ) or Nordic walking ( n = 27 ) ; both groups performed 200 to 400 minutes of exercise per week for 12 weeks . The primary outcome , measured after 12 weeks , was functional capacity assessed by a 6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) . RESULTS Compared with st and ard care , Nordic walking led to higher functional capacity ( Δ 125.6 ± 59.4 m vs Δ 57.0 ± 71.3 m travelled during 6MWT ; P = 0.001 ) , greater self-reported physical activity ( Δ 158.5 ± 118.5 minutes vs Δ 155.5 ± 125.6 minutes ; P = 0.049 ) , increased right grip strength ( Δ 2.3 ± 3.5 kg vs Δ 0.3 ± 3.1 kg ; P = 0.026 ) , and fewer depressive symptoms ( Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score = Δ -1.7 ± 2.4 vs Δ -0.8 ± 3.1 ; P = 0.014 ) . No significant differences were found for peak aerobic capacity , left-h and grip strength , body weight , waist circumference , or symptoms of anxiety . CONCLUSIONS Nordic walking was superior to st and ard cardiac rehabilitation care  in improving functional capacity and other important outcomes in patients with heart failure . This exercise modality is a promising alternative for this population Purpose . To date , there are no studies that have investigated the role of alexithymia in respiratory rehabilitation . We aim ed to observe the prevalence of alexithymia in patients attending respiratory rehabilitation  and to verify the presence of a difference between alexithymics and non-alexithymics responsiveness to the respiratory rehabilitation st and ard protocol . Methods . A prospect i ve cohort study evaluating the influence of alexithymia on functional recovery of in- patients afferent to the Respiratory Rehabilitation Unit of IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana . Sixty patients were consecutively enrolled into the study and evaluated for alexithymia , anxiety and depression . Functional recovery was assessed with the  six-minute walking test ( 6MWT ) . Prior and post-completion of this test dyspnoea , oxygen saturation and cardiac frequency were recorded . Results . Alexithymia was not found to be significantly affecting the functional recovery of participants in respiratory rehabilitation . The distance walked at the 6MWT ( 6MWD ) increased in both alexithymics and non-alexithymics ( palexithymics = 0.014 ; pnon-alexithymics < 0.0001 ) . Dyspnoea strongly improved among non-alexithymics , although a signal for improvement was also found in alexithymics ( palexithymics = 0.046 ; pnon-alexithymics = 0.0001 ) . Conclusions . These findings suggest that alexithymia did not have a significant impact on functional recovery of patients in respiratory rehabilitation Background Exercise rehabilitation after cardiac surgery has beneficial effects , especially on a long-term basis . Rehabilitative programs with telemedicine plus appropriate technology might satisfy the needs of performing rehabilitation at home . Objective The purpose of this study was to compare exercise capacity after home-based cardiac rehabilitation ( HBCR ) or in-hospital rehabilitation in patients at low to medium risk for early mortality ( EuroSCORE 0–5 ) following cardiac surgery . Design A quasi-experimental study was conducted . Methods At hospital discharge , patients were given the option to decide whether to enroll in the HBCR program .  Clinical examinations ( electrocardiography , cardiac echo color Doppler , chest radiography , blood sample s ) of patients in the HBCR group were collected during 4 weeks of rehabilitation , and exercise capacity ( assessed using the Six-Minute Walk Test [ 6MWT ] ) was assessed before and after rehabilitation . A group of patients admitted to the in-hospital rehabilitation program was used as a comparison group . Patients in the HBCR group were supervised at home by a medical doctor and telemonitored daily by a nurse and physical therapist by video conference . Periodic home visits by health staff also were performed . Results One hundred patients were recruited into the HBCR group . An equal number of patients was selected for the comparison group . At the end of the 4-week study , the 2 groups showed improvement from their respective baseline values only in the 6MWT . No difference was found in time × group interaction . Limitations Because patients self-selected to enroll in the HBCR program and because they were enrolled from a single clinical center , the results of the study can not be generalized . Conclusions In patients who self-selected HBCR , the program was found to be effective and comparable to the st and ard in-hospital rehabilitative approach , indicating that rehabilitation following cardiac surgery can be implemented effectively at home when coadministered with an integrated telemedicine service RATIONALE The 6-minute-walk test ( 6MWT ) is a practical and clinical ly meaningful measure of exercise tolerance with favorable performance characteristics in various cardiac and pulmonary diseases . Performance characteristics in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ( IPF ) have not been systematic ally evaluated . OBJECTIVES To assess the reliability , validity , and responsiveness of the 6MWT and estimate the minimal clinical ly important difference ( MCID ) in patients with IPF . METHODS The study population included all subjects completing a 6MWT in a clinical trial evaluating interferon gamma-1b ( n = 822 ) .  Six-minute walk distance ( 6MWD )  and other parameters were measured at baseline and at 24-week intervals using a st and ardized protocol . Parametric and distribution-independent correlation coefficients were used to assess the strength of the relationships between 6MWD and measures of pulmonary function , dyspnea , and health-related quality of life . Both distribution-based and anchor-based methods were used to estimate the MCID . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Comparison of two proximal measures of 6MWD ( mean interval , 24 d ) demonstrated good reliability ( coefficient = 0.83 ; P < 0.001 ) . 6MWD was weakly correlated with measures of physiologic function and health-related quality of life ; however , values were consistently and significantly lower for patients with the poorest functional status , suggesting good construct validity . Importantly , change in 6MWD was highly predictive of mortality ; a 24-week decline of greater than 50 m was associated with a fourfold increase in risk of death at 1 year ( hazard ratio , 4.27 ; 95 % confidence interval , 2.57- 7.10 ; P < 0.001 ) . The estimated MCID was 24 - 45 m. CONCLUSIONS The 6MWT is a reliable , valid , and responsive measure of disease status and a valid endpoint for clinical trials in IPF Background : Ambulatory oxygen is frequently prescribed for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) who have oxygen desaturation ≤88 % during exercise . The 6-min walk test ( 6MWT ) with continuous pulse oximetry monitoring is a common method to document this oxygen desaturation , but the reproducibility of this test in determining the need for ambulatory oxygen in patients with COPD is not well documented . Objective : The aim of this study was to establish the reproducibility of the 6MWT in determining the need for ambulatory oxygen prescription in stable COPD patients using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ( CMS ) criteria for ambulatory oxygen prescription . Methods : The study was design ed as a prospect i ve observational study in an academic health center and associated pulmonary rehabilitation program . Eighty-eight COPD patients referred to pulmonary rehabilitation underwent continuous pulse oximetry while performing st and ard 6MWT on 3 separate days . Results : Fifty-one ( 58 % ) of these patients desaturated by continuous pulse oximetry to an SpO2 ≤88 % on a least one of the 6MWTs . Only 26 patients ( 30 % ) demonstrated consistency in meeting the criteria for ambulatory oxygen set forth by the CMS on all three 6MWT with a κ statistic of 0.62 . The percent agreement between 6MWTs for ambulatory oxygen prescription was 72 % and the paired observation was 51 % . Conclusions : The 6MWT distance is simple and widely used as a consistent measure of functional capacity in patients with COPD ; however , the 6MWT oxygen saturation has only modest reproducibility in determining the need for ambulatory oxygen in stable COPD patients undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation OBJECTIVES ( 1 ) To examine the concurrent criterion validity of the modified shuttle walk test ( MSWT ) by using the 6- ( 6MWT ) and 12-minute walk test ( 12MWT ) , ( 2 ) to examine the concurrent criterion validity of the estimated maximum oxygen uptake ( Vo2max ) of the MSWT with actual Vo2max , and ( 3 ) to determine test-retest reliability of the MSWT in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) . DESIGN Validation study . SETTING Outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program . PARTICIPANTS Thirty clinical ly stable adults with COPD . INTERVENTIONS Not applicable . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Subjects were r and omly assigned to receive either the 6MWT and 12MWT or the MSWT first . The MSWT was repeated 1 week later ( N = 30 ) . Estimated Vo2max was calculated , and actual Vo2max was conducted by using the Jones test . Validity of the MSWT was assessed by comparing endurance scores and Vo2max with results from the 6MWT and 12MWT and Jones test , respectively . RESULTS There was a moderately high correlation between the  MSWT  and the 6MWT and 12MWT at initial testing ( .82 and .74 , respectively ) . Correlation between estimated and actual Vo2max was r equal to .68 . Test-retest reliability for the entire sample was high ( intraclass correlation coefficient , .88 ) . Results remained quite stable across severity , age , and sex subgroups . CONCLUSIONS The MSWT is a st and ardized externally paced submaximal endurance walking test . The results indicate that the MSWT has high concurrent validity and test-retest reliability for patients with COPD Objective : To study the effects of three individualized exercise training prescriptions using either a percentage of maximal heart rate ( HR ) , maximal 6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) HR , or maximal 200-metre fast walk test ( 200-mFWT ) HR , on walking performance and exercise capacity in coronary artery disease ( CAD ) patients . Design : Controlled clinical study . Participants : Twenty-seven out patients enrolled in a rehabilitation programme after an acute coronary syndrome . Setting : Cardiac rehabilitation unit . Interventions : Three groups : ( A ) : moderate intensity continuous exercise ( MICE ) at 70 % of the maximal HR of the grade d maximal exercise test ( n = 10 ) ; ( B ) : MICE at the maximal 6MWT HR ( n = 8) ; ( C ) : high intensity interval training ( HIIT ) based on the 6MWT and the 200-mFWT maximal HR ( n = 9 ) . Group B and C performed walk tests every 2 weeks , to readjust training HR ( THR ) if needed . Measures : 6MWT and 200-mFWT performances , peak VO2 and peak power ( Pmax ) . Results : 6MWT and 200-mFWT performances improved significantly and similarly in all groups ( P < 0.05 ) . Peak VO2 improved significantly in all groups ( P < 0.05 ) , this improvement being higher in group C ( HIIT ) versus A ( P < 0.05 ) . Group B was closer to the recommended THR during exercise sessions compared to group A. Conclusion : This pilot study showed that using the 6MWT and 200-mFWT HR to individualize MICE or HIIT prescription is feasible in CAD patients , and could lead them closer to THR objective , to similar improvements in walking performance , and greater peak VO2 increase for HIIT . Future r and omised studies should investigate long-term effects of programmes prescribed from walk tests HR , especially for HIIT modality
Qualitative analysis indicated moderate evidence for repeatability of the 6MWT in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation , for a 2 % to 8 % learning effect between repeated 6MWTs , for a relationship between peak heart rate during the 6MWT and during cycle exercise at the ventilatory threshold , and for moderate-to-high correlation between the 6-minute walk distance and maximum metabolic equivalents achieved on symptom-limited exercise tests .
Strong evidence suggests that the 6MWT is responsive to clinical change following cardiac rehabilitation .
BACKGROUND The  6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) is a common outcome measurement in cardiac rehabilitation .
However , a search of the literature found no established guidelines for use of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation .
OBJECTIVES Systematic review of the validity , reliability and responsiveness of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation .