Taking the 6-minute walk test is a good way to discover the respiratory, cardiac and metabolic capacity of a person who has a condition such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or who has had surgery on the heart or lung, for example.
The main objective of the test is to verify the distance that the person can walk for 6 minutes in a row, and to assess cardiac and respiratory function, the person's heart rate and pressure must be measured before and after the test is performed.
What is it for
The 6-minute walk test serves to assess cardiac and respiratory capacity in the following situations:
- After lung transplant surgery, After bariatric surgery; Heart failure; In case of COPD; Cystic fibrosis; Fibromyalgia; Pulmonary hypertension; Lung cancer.
The test should be performed at least 2 hours after a meal and the person can continue taking their medications as usual. Clothes should be comfortable and sneakers should be worn.
How the test is done
To perform the test you need to sit and rest for 10 minutes. Next, pressure and pulse are measured and then the walk should begin, in a flat place, at least 30 meters long, during the 6 minutes that must be timed. The pace should be as fast as you can, without running, but steadily.
Ideally, the person should be able to walk normally for 6 minutes, without stopping, but it is allowed to stop to breathe or touch a wall, and if this happens, the doctor may ask if you want to stop the test immediately or if you want to continue.
When reaching 6 minutes, the person must sit down and immediately the pressure and pulse must be measured again and the therapist must ask if the person is very tired or not, and the distance walked must also be measured. A new measurement of these values should be performed in minutes 7, 8 and 9 shortly after the test is finished.
The test must be performed again in less than 1 week, and the results must be compared, because the values are more correct.
When not to perform the test
The walk test should not be performed in case of unstable angina, which is when the person has chest pain that lasts more than 20 minutes, or in case of a heart attack for less than 30 days.
Other situations that can prevent this test are: heart rate above 120 bpm, systolic pressure above 180, and diastolic pressure above 100 mmHg.
The test should be stopped if the person has:
- Chest pain; Shortness of breath; Sweat; Paleness; Dizziness or Cramp.
Since this test can increase blood pressure and heart rate, if there is a suspicion that the person may feel ill or have a heart attack, the test should be carried out at the hospital, during hospitalization, or at a clinic where immediate help can be provided, in case of need. However, despite being an exercise test, there are practically no deaths recorded due to the test.
Reference values
The reference values vary a lot depending on the author, so the best way to evaluate the person is to take the test twice, less than 7 days apart and compare the results. The person should report how they feel as soon as the test is finished, which helps to determine their level of motor and respiratory capacity. Borg's school serves to assess the level of shortness of breath that a person may experience, and ranges from zero to 10, where zero is: I have no shortness of breath, and 10 is: impossible to keep walking.
