TY - JOUR T1 - Responsiveness of the six-minute stepper test to pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P4497 AU - Romain Pichon AU - Marc Beaumont AU - Catherine Le Ber-Moy AU - Chantal Lochon AU - Loic Peran AU - Francis Couturaud Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4497.abstract N2 - Background: The six-minute stepper test (6MST) validity and reproducibility have already been demonstrated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Aims: To evaluate the responsiveness of the 6MST to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with COPD and to objectively compare 6MST and six-minute walk test (6MWT).Methods: 62 patients with COPD were included in this prospective cohort study. Participants underwent a three weeks inpatient PR program. Two 6MST and two 6MWT were performed before PR and one 6MST and one 6MWT were performed after the program. The primary outcome was the evolution of the number of steps during the 6MST before and after PR. Secondary outcome included the evolution of the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) pulse oxymetry, heart rate, dyspnea and leg discomfort during the tests before and after PR.Results: A significant increase in the number of steps during the 6MST was observed after PR (22.5 steps; 95% CI: 13.8-31.3; p<0.0001) and in the 6MWD after PR (26.6 m; 95% CI: 17.6-35.5; p<0.0001). 6MST and 6MWT improved by 10.1% and 6.5%, respectively. The number of steps during the 6MST was significantly correlated with the 6MWD before (r=0.72; p<0.0001) and after PR (r=0.66; p<0.0001).Conclusion: The 6MST appears to be as responsive as the 6MWT in order to assess functional improvement during PR in patients with COPD. The 6MST is low cost and requires limited space. ER -