Abstract
The distance walked during a Six-Minute Walk Test (6 MWD) is used for following the natural history of COPD, for assessing the response to therapeutic interventions, to estimate the prognosis in BODE index, in cardiology it is used to estimation of the chronic heart failure. Normally patients with COPD III and IV stage are patients with polypatology.
Aim: to investigate the pathologic conditions which influence on the 6 MWD in severe COPD patents with and without exacerbation.
Methods: 120 patients were clinically and functionally investigated in the study during and after hospitalization in the pulmonology department. Additionally for 16 patients was performed gated blood pool single photon emission computer tomography (gbSPECT) and proBNP measurement.
Results:
Conclusion: in patients with COPD during disease exacerbation the main 6MWD limiting factors are respiratory function failure, hypoxia and muscle dysfunction. In stable state left and right heart dysfunction even without clinically significant heart failure contribute to 6MWD limitation.
- © 2012 ERS