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 .
Prognostic usefulness of the six-minute walk in patients with advanced congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy.
Clinicians have relied on history and results from physical examinations to guide treatment of patients with advanced congestive heart failure , but these results may not reflect disease severity or hemodynamic status . We assessed how the distance walked in 6 minutes relates to clinical outcomes and symptoms of such patients . We compared the rates of death , hospitalization , and their composite at 1 year by the distance walked in 6 minutes at baseline and at 1 month , and by the change in distance between baseline and 1 month in 440 patients enrolled in a r and omized trial . We also assessed the relations of baseline distance walked to symptom score and New York Heart Association class . The median distance increased from 218 m at baseline to 280 m at 1 month . Of 365 patients able to perform the baseline walk , 121 ( 33 % ) died and 217 ( 60 % ) were hospitalized compared with 46 ( 61 % ) and 34 ( 45 % ) of 75 patients unable to walk at baseline . Baseline distance significantly predicted mortality ( hazard ratio 0.58/100-m increase , 95 % confidence interval 0.50 to 0.68 , p < 0.001 ) , even after adjustment . Baseline distance also significantly predicted hospitalization and the composite end point , as did the 1-month distance walked . The change in distance walked from baseline to 1 month did not predict any end point . Baseline distance correlated only moderately with symptom score ( r = -0.385 , p < 0.001 ) and New York Heart Association class ( r = -0.468 , p < 0.001 ) . Distance walked during 6 minutes independently and strongly predicts mortality and hospitalization in patients with advanced congestive heart failure . This may be a simple , noninvasive , objective way to risk-stratify these patients and st and ardize their treatment
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 .