Pharmacological trials including patients with more severe heart failure were more likely to show a significant improvement with therapy than trials of milder heart failure .
Using mean values in these trials , the age of patients appeared a more important determinant of 6MWT distance than New York Heart Association classification .
The 6MWT has not yet been proven to be a robust test for the identification of effective pharmacological interventions although it appears useful for the assessment of cardiac resynchronization therapy .
The results of the 6MWT were concordant with changes in symptoms , suggesting that it may be used as supportive evidence for symptom benefit .
AIMS The 6 min walk test ( 6MWT ) is commonly used in clinical trials to assess treatments for heart failure , but its ability to distinguish between effective and ineffective treatments is question able .
The aim of this study is to investigate , using a systematic literature review , the utility of the 6MWT as a measure of the effectiveness of treatment in r and omized controlled trials of heart failure .
Efficacy and safety of berberine for congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
This study was design ed to assess the efficacy and safety of berberine for chronic congestive heart failure ( CHF ) . One hundred fifty-six patients with CHF and > 90 ventricular premature complexes ( VPCs ) and /or nonsustained ventricular tachycardia ( VT ) on 24-hour Holter monitoring were r and omly divided into 2 groups . All patients were given conventional therapy for CHF , consisting of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors , digoxin , diuretics , and nitrates .  Patients in the treatment group ( n = 79 ) were also given berberine 1.2 to 2.0 g/day . The remaining 77 patients were given  placebo . Symptoms , a 6-minute walk test , left ventricular ( LV ) ejection fraction ( EF ) , frequency and complexity of VPCs , and quality of life were assessed after 8 weeks of treatment and during a mean 24-month follow-up . After treatment with berberine , there was a significantly greater increase in LVEF , exercise capacity , improvement of the dyspnea-fatigue index , and a decrease of frequency and complexity of VPCs compared with the control group . There was a significant decrease in mortality in the berberine-treated patients during long-term follow-up ( 7 patients receiving treatment died vs 13 on placebo , p < 0.02 ) . Proarrhythmia was not observed , and there were no apparent side effects . Thus , berberine improved quality of life and decreased VPCs and mortality in patients with CHF
Pharmacological trials including patients with more severe heart failure were more likely to show a significant improvement with therapy than trials of milder heart failure .
Using mean values in these trials , the age of patients appeared a more important determinant of 6MWT distance than New York Heart Association classification .
The 6MWT has not yet been proven to be a robust test for the identification of effective pharmacological interventions although it appears useful for the assessment of cardiac resynchronization therapy .
The results of the 6MWT were concordant with changes in symptoms , suggesting that it may be used as supportive evidence for symptom benefit .
AIMS The 6 min walk test ( 6MWT ) is commonly used in clinical trials to assess treatments for heart failure , but its ability to distinguish between effective and ineffective treatments is question able .
The aim of this study is to investigate , using a systematic literature review , the utility of the 6MWT as a measure of the effectiveness of treatment in r and omized controlled trials of heart failure .