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 .
MIC trial: metoprolol in patients with mild to moderate heart failure: effects on ventricular function and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
UNLABELLED Beta-blocker therapy results in a functional benefit in patients with heart failure ( CHF ) due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy ( DCM ) . This study assessed if similar effects were observed in patients with ischemic heart disease ( CAD ) , NYHA II-III after 6 months of therapy with metoprolol . METHODS AND RESULTS Fifty-two patients with CHF secondary to DCM ( 26 patients ) and CAD ( 26 patients ) and a left ventricular ejection fraction (EF)<40 % were enrolled in the  placebo-controlled  study . The study medication was titrated over 6 weeks , the mean final dosage was 135 mg/day . Three patients died due to cardiogenic shock , two received placebo and one metoprolol .  Eight patients did not complete the study due to non-compliance . Metoprolol significantly reduced heart rate at rest and after submaximal and maximal exercise . Vo(2)-max and Vo(2)-AT as well as the 6-min walk test improved significantly after metoprolol treatment . There was a significant increase in EF at rest ( 27.3 - 35 . 2 % ) , submaximal ( 28.5 - 37.7 % ) and maximal exercise ( 28.7 - 40.9 % ) in the metoprolol-treated patients . No differences were found between patients with CAD and DCM . We also observed reduced left ventricular volumes . CONCLUSION The additional therapy with metoprolol improved cardiac function and the cardiopulmonary exercise capacity 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 .