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Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Oxygen kinetics during 6-minute walk tests in patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease

Authors: Lukas Kern, Sophie Condrau, Florent Baty, Jan Wiegand, Arno JR van Gestel, Andrea Azzola, Michael Tamm, Martin Brutsche

Published in: BMC Pulmonary Medicine | Issue 1/2014

Abstract

Background

The 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) is representative of daily-life activities and reflects the functional capacity of patients. The change of oxygen uptake (VO₂) in the initial phase of low-intensity exercise (VO₂ kinetics) can be used to assess submaximal exercise performance of patients.

The objective of the following study was to analyse VO₂ kinetics in patients with different pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, we investigated the extent to which VO₂ kinetics at the onset of the 6MWT were associated with exercise capacity, morbidity and mortality.

Methods

VO₂ kinetics of 204 patients and 16 healthy controls were obtained using mobile telemetric cardiopulmonary monitoring during a 6MWT. A new mean response time (MRT) index (wMRT) was developed to quantify VO₂ kinetics by correcting MRT for work rate. The differences in wMRT between disease categories as well as the association between wMRT and patients’ exercise capacity and outcome - time to hospitalization/death- were tested.

Results

The assessment of a robust wMRT was feasible in 86% (244/284) patients. wMRT was increased in patients compared to healthy controls (p <0.001). wMRT was largest in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). There were significant associations between wMRT and exercise capacity in all patients. High wMRT was found to be associated with a high rate of death and re-hospitalization in patients with CHF (p = 0.024). In patients with pulmonary diseases and pulmonary hypertension wMRT was not associated with outcome (p = 0.952).

Conclusions

Submaximal exercise performance of patients is reduced. O₂ kinetics at the onset of exercise are associated with exercise capacity in all patients. wMRT was found to be an important prognostic factor in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), but not with pulmonary diseases.

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The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2466/14/167/prepub

Title: Oxygen kinetics during 6-minute walk tests in patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease
Authors: Lukas Kern
Sophie Condrau
Florent Baty
Jan Wiegand
Arno JR van Gestel
Andrea Azzola
Michael Tamm
Martin Brutsche
Publication date: 01-12-2014
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Pulmonary Medicine / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2466
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2466-14-167

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