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 .
Safety and efficacy of a soluble P75 tumor necrosis factor receptor (Enbrel, etanercept) in patients with advanced heart failure.
BACKGROUND Although previous studies suggested that TNF may contribute to heart failure progression , it is unclear whether antagonizing TNF is beneficial in heart failure patients . METHODS AND RESULTS Eighteen NYHA class III heart failure patients were r and omized into a double-blind dose-escalation study to examine the safety and potential efficacy of etanercept , a specific TNF antagonist ( Enbrel ) . Patients received placebo ( 6 patients ) or an escalating dose ( 1 , 4 , or 10 mg/m2 ) of etanercept ( 12 patients ) given as a single intravenous infusion . Safety parameters and patient functional status were assessed at baseline and at days 1 , 2 , 7 , and 14 . There were no significant side effects or clinical ly significant changes in laboratory indices . There was , however , a decrease in TNF bioactivity and a significant overall increase in quality -of-life scores , 6-minute walk distance , and ejection fraction in the cohort that received 4 or 10 mg/m2 of etanercept ; there was no significant change in these parameters in the placebo group . CONCLUSIONS A single intravenous infusion of etanercept was safe and well tolerated in patients with NYHA class III heart failure . These studies provide provisional evidence that suggests that etanercept is sufficient to lower levels of biologically active TNF and may lead to improvement in the functional status of patients with heart failure
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 .