Qualitative analysis indicated moderate evidence for repeatability of the 6MWT in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation , for a 2 % to 8 % learning effect between repeated 6MWTs , for a relationship between peak heart rate during the 6MWT and during cycle exercise at the ventilatory threshold , and for moderate-to-high correlation between the 6-minute walk distance and maximum metabolic equivalents achieved on symptom-limited exercise tests .
Strong evidence suggests that the 6MWT is responsive to clinical change following cardiac rehabilitation .
BACKGROUND The  6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) is a common outcome measurement in cardiac rehabilitation .
However , a search of the literature found no established guidelines for use of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation .
OBJECTIVES Systematic review of the validity , reliability and responsiveness of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation .
Determining the minimal clinically important difference for the six-minute walk test and the 200-meter fast-walk test during cardiac rehabilitation program in coronary artery disease patients after acute coronary syndrome.
OBJECTIVE To estimate the minimal clinical ly important difference ( MCID ) for the 6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) and the 200-m fast-walk test ( FWT ) in patients with coronary artery disease ( CAD ) during a cardiac rehabilitation program . DESIGN Prospect i ve study using distribution- and anchor-based methods . SETTING Out patients from a cardiac rehabilitation unit . PARTICIPANTS Stable patients with CAD ( N=81 ; 77 men ; mean±SD age , 58.1±8.7y ) enrolled 31±12.1 days after an acute coronary syndrome ( ACS ) . INTERVENTIONS Not applicable . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES  6MWT and 200-m FWT results before and after an 8-week cardiac rehabilitation program and at the 6th and 12th sessions . Patients and physiotherapists who supervised the training were asked to provide a global rating of perceived change in walking ability while blinded to changes in walk test performances . RESULTS Mean change in 6MWT distance ( 6MWD ) in patients who reported no change was -6.5 m versus 23.3 m in those who believed their performance had improved ( P<.001 ) . This result was consistent with the MCID determined by using the distribution method ( 23 m ) . Considering a 25-m cutoff , positive and negative predictive values were 0.9 and .63 , respectively . Conversely , there was no difference in 200-m FWT performance between these 2 groups ( 0.1 vs -1.4s , respectively ) . There was poor agreement with the physiotherapist 's perceived change . CONCLUSIONS The MCID for 6MWD in patients with CAD after ACS was 25 m . This result will help physicians interpret 6MWD change and help research ers estimate sample sizes in further studies using 6MWD as an endpoint
Qualitative analysis indicated moderate evidence for repeatability of the 6MWT in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation , for a 2 % to 8 % learning effect between repeated 6MWTs , for a relationship between peak heart rate during the 6MWT and during cycle exercise at the ventilatory threshold , and for moderate-to-high correlation between the 6-minute walk distance and maximum metabolic equivalents achieved on symptom-limited exercise tests .
Strong evidence suggests that the 6MWT is responsive to clinical change following cardiac rehabilitation .
BACKGROUND The  6-minute walk test ( 6MWT ) is a common outcome measurement in cardiac rehabilitation .
However , a search of the literature found no established guidelines for use of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation .
OBJECTIVES Systematic review of the validity , reliability and responsiveness of the 6MWT in cardiac rehabilitation .