Association Between 6-Minute Walk Test Distance and Objective Variables of Functional Capacity After Exercise Training in Elderly Heart Failure Patients With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Randomized Exercise Trial.

The study included only 47 participants, 41 women and 6 men, all aged 65 years or older, so it may not apply to men, younger patients, or broader heart failure populations. The sample was homogeneous, mostly older female patients with preserved-ejection-fraction heart failure. The control group received no exercise intervention, and the walk test improved in both groups, so the walk test result may not isolate a training effect. Only researchers were blinded to patient group. Eligibility, protocol, participant characteristics, main outcomes, compliance, adherence, adverse events, and power analyses are referred to prior publications rather than fully described here.

The trial was funded by the National Institutes of Health, and the authors reported no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that the six-minute walk test is a good stand-in for peak oxygen uptake or ventilatory threshold after cycle ergometer and walking training in older patients with preserved-ejection-fraction heart failure. The walk distance improved by 9% from baseline in the no-exercise control group and by 11% from baseline in the exercise group, but the change in walk distance did not correlate with the change in either objective measure.