HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Permissions Request Permissions Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (8) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Deboeck, G. Articles by Naeije, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Deboeck, G. Articles by Naeije, R.

Physiological response to the six-minute walk test in pulmonary arterial hypertension

¹ Dept of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, ² Dept of Cardiology, Erasme Hospital, and ³ Dept of Physiology, Institute of Sports and Physiotherapy, Free University of Brussels, Belgium.

CORRESPONDENCE: R. Naeije, Laboratory of Physiology, Erasmus Campus, CP 604, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium. Fax: 32 25554124. E-mail: rnaeije{at}ulb.ac.be

Keywords: Cardiopulmonary exercise test, exercise, oxygen consumption, pulmonary arterial hypertension, six-minute walk test

Received: March 17, 2005
Accepted June 17, 2005

The 6-min walk test (6MWT) is commonly used to evaluate exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, little is known about the corresponding metabolic stress as measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

The present study, therefore, measured ventilatory variables and heart rate during the 6MWT and symptom-limited incremental maximal exercise testing in 20 patients with PAH.

The distance walked in 6 min was 450±22 m (mean±SE). During the 6MWT, ventilation, O₂ consumption, CO₂ production and heart rate increased during the first 3–4 min, and then remained stable. As compared with the maximum values measured during the cardiopulmonary exercise test, O₂ consumption tended to be higher (14.2±0.6 versus 12.9±0.7 mL·kg^–1·min^–1), while maximum ventilation (46±3 versus 57±4 L·min^–1), respiratory quotient (0.90±0.02 versus 1.15±0.02) and heart rate (119±4 versus 135±4 beats·min^–1) remained lower.

In conclusion, patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension exercise at higher aerobic capacity and lower metabolic stress during the 6MWT than during a cardiopulmonary exercise test.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Glaser, C. Schaper, R. Ewert, and B. Koch Peak oxygen uptake and exercise capacity: a reliable predictor of quality of life? Eur. Heart J., July 1, 2009; 30(13): 1674 - 1674. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.G. Coghlan and J. Davar How should we assess right ventricular function in 2008? Eur. Heart J. Suppl., December 1, 2007; 9(suppl_H): H22 - H28. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Reichenberger, R. Voswinckel, B. Enke, M. Rutsch, E. El Fechtali, T. Schmehl, H. Olschewski, R. Schermuly, N. Weissmann, H. A. Ghofrani, et al. Long-term treatment with sildenafil in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension Eur. Respir. J., November 1, 2007; 30(5): 922 - 927. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Matsuda, H. Ogino, K. Minatoya, H. Sasaki, N. Nakanishi, S. Kyotani, J. Kobayashi, T. Yagihara, and S. Kitamura Long-term recovery of exercise ability after pulmonary endarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Ann. Thorac. Surg., October 1, 2006; 82(4): 1338 - 1343. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]