Validation of the London Chest Activity of Daily Living scale in patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND: The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) is a well-validated, commonly-used tool to assess quality of life in patients with heart failure. However, it lacks specific information concerning breathlessness during daily activities. OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity of the London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) scale for use in patients with heart failure. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with heart failure (57% males, mean age 50 years (standard deviation 9), mean left ventricle ejection fraction 29% (SD 6), New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class I-III) were included. All subjects first performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test and then responded to the LCADL and the MLHFQ, with guidance from the same investigator. The re-test for the LCADL was applied one week later. RESULTS: LCADL was correlated with MLHFQ (r = 0.88; p < 0.0001). LCADL and MLHFQ were also correlated with exercise capacity (r = -0.75 and r = -0.73, respectively; both p < 0.0001). The LCADL was shown to be reproducible (ri = 0.98). There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the LCADL scores between NYHA functional classes I and II, as well as classes I and III, but not between classes II and III. CONCLUSION: The LCADL was shown to be a valid measurement of dyspnoea during daily activities in patients with heart failure. This scale could be an additional useful tool for the assessment of patients' dyspnoea during activities of daily living.