Disclosures: Gerold R. Ebenbichler, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: To investigate all, the re-test reliability, concurrent and predictive validity of the six minutes’ walk test (6MWT), an important surrogate measure of impaired functioning and health, in lung transplant recipients (LuTXr).
Design: Prospective observation of a cohort of LuTXr; two baseline assessments separated by 1 day and a third one after completion of 2 months’ of subacute rehabilitation. Six years’ mortality data was obtained from the LuTXr register (department of thoracic surgery). Setting : Outpatient department of PM&R and rehabilitation hospital.
Participants : 50 LuTXr (2 single-LuTX, 28 females), who were able to walk with or without assistance device for a minimum of 50 meters.
Interventions: Rehabilitation interventions were tailored according to the individual needs. Relevant components of the rehabilitation program comprised of 1) regular muscle training, 2) respiratory exercises 3) nutritional and 4) psychological counselling.
Main Outcome Measures: 6MWT distance (6MWD) in meters.
Results: Baseline 6MWD scores significantly improved when LuTXr were re-tested after 1.6 days. The intra-class coefficient of correlation ICC(2,1) of the 6MWD was found to be 0.93 (95%CI:0.88;0.96). The standard error of measurement (SEM) and the smallest real difference (95%CI SEM) were both smaller than the increase in 6MWD (175m (95%CI:152;199) as at the end of rehabilitation. The 6MWD score improvements upon completion of rehabilitation did not correlate with the respective changes in muscle strength, endurance, health related quality of life or lung function testing (Pearson correlation). COX proportional hazards model found the 6MWD not predictive for overall mortality after LuTX. Conclusions: In LuTXr the 6MWT is reliable and can be expected to enable an acceptable level of detection of expected changes in bodily conditioning as a result of planned medical rehabilitation interventions. Re-testing at baseline is recommended. Unlike in CRD, the 6MWT demonstrates little concurrent validity and does not predict survival after LuTX.
Level of Evidence: Level II
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Ebenbichler GR, Habenicht R, Kienbacher T. The Six Minutes Walk Test in Lung Transplant Recipients: Reliability, Concurrent and Predictive Validity [abstract]. PM R. 2020; 12(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/the-six-minutes-walk-test-in-lung-transplant-recipients-reliability-concurrent-and-predictive-validity/. Accessed May 16, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/the-six-minutes-walk-test-in-lung-transplant-recipients-reliability-concurrent-and-predictive-validity/