PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shirley Ngai
AU  - Jennifer Alison
AU  - Lissa Spencer
AU  - Alice Jones
TI  - Repeatability of the endurance shuttle walk test in COPD
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P2739
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P2739.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P2739.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - The aim was to evaluate the repeatability of the endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT) measured within the same day, within the same week and a week apart.Methods: Individuals diagnosed with COPD were recruited. Participants were asked to perform two incremental shuttle walk tests (ISWT) for predicting the walking intensity for the ESWT. ESWT 1 (E1) and ESWT 2 (E2) were performed on the same day, 30 minutes apart. ESWT 3 (E3) was performed within a week from E2 and ESWT 4 (E4) was performed one week after E3. Heart rate (HR) (Polar RS800CX, Polar, Finland) and dyspnoea (Borg scale 0-10) were measured before and after each ESWT. Duration walked in each ESWT was measured and the corresponding walking distance was calculated. The repeatability of the four ESWTs was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.Results: Twenty-two participants (mean ± SD age 71±6 years; FEV1% predicted 54 ±24%; TLC 122±21%) completed the study. The mean durations of E1 to E4 were 368±203s, 371±182s, 386±213s and 367±223s respectively, with no time effect (F= 0.18, p=0.79). The corresponding distances walked in E1 to E4 were 474±300m, 478±267m, 511±349m, 487±358m respectively, with no time effect (F=0.36, p=0.65). The percentage predicted HRmax at the end of E1 to E4 were 79±9 %, 80±11%, 82±9%, 80±9% respectively, with no significant time effect (F=1.94, p=0.13).Conclusion: There was no evidence of a learning effect when an ESWT was repeated within one day, within one week or a week apart, showing that the ESWT is repeatable in people with moderate COPD.