Key result
The six-minute walk test is a practical and reliable method for assessing exercise capacity and determining prognosis in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Why the study?
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is limited by device accessibility, required expertise, and difficulty in advanced pulmonary hypertension, prompting interest in easier exercise capacity measures like the 6-minute walk test.
This review provides a practical guide for performing, interpreting, and using the 6-minute walk test for prognostication in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
May guide PH exercise assessment; extends observational data but leaves open prospective validation.
Six-minute walk test (6MWT) is the most widely used exercise capacity measurement worldwide in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Although cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is the gold standard for the assessment of exercise capacity in cardiovascular diseases; the limited accessibility of the device, the need for experience in interpreting the results, and the difficulties in performing CPET in advanced PH have aroused the interest in the application of easier methods for the measurement of exercise capacity. Since then, accumulated data proved that; 6-minutes walking distance (6MWD) can be used to determine exercise capacity and is highly correlated with maximum oxygen consumption (peak VO2) detected by CPET in patients with heart failure and/or PH. Moreover, 6MWT is very easy and practical to apply in all PH subgroups. This review is focused on the application of a reliable 6MWT and the interpretation of the results in patients with PH.
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Murat Meriç (2023) conducted a review in Pulmonary Hypertension. Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) was evaluated. The six-minute walk test is a practical and reliable method for assessing exercise capacity and determining prognosis in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
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