The 6-Minute Walk as an Appropriate Exercise Test in Elderly Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: The value of the 6-minute walk in a population of elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) has not yet been established, as it has been in a younger population. METHODS: In a prospective trial, 2 exercise tests were compared: the 6-minute walk (6 MW) and a treadmill test with progressive increments in workload. 37 patients (mean age 81.3, SD 5.6 years): 11 untrained controls, 16 patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II and 10 patients with NYHA class III participated. The main outcome measures were the distance walked in 6 minutes, the symptomatic VO2max in the progressive treadmill test and the degree of CHF as scored by the NYHA classification and the Boston Study Group (BSG)…