title: Is the six-minute walk test a useful tool to prescribe high-intensity exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is not yet completely known whether the 6MWT can be used to prescribe high-intensity exercise for patients with COPD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the ability of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) to prescribe high-intensity exercise for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Lung function, maximal inspiratory strength, symptoms and exercise capacity were evaluated in patients with COPD (n = 27) before and after a 12-week high-intensity exercise program. Criteria for high-intensity training were: 1) ≥75% of the 6MWT average speed; 2) American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) criteria (≥60% of the maximal incremental shuttle walk test speed).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 6MWT showed good positive and negative predictive values (0.69 and 0.71, respectively), and accuracy (0.70), good reliability (ICC 0.70 [95%CI 0.45-0.85]) and moderate agreement (k 0.41 [95%CI 0.13-0.67]) with the ATS/ERS criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 6MWT has good predictive ability and accuracy in relation to high-intensity exercise for patients with COPD.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fisioterapia Pulmonar (LFIP), Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antenor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fisioterapia Pulmonar (LFIP), Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Martino
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fisioterapia Pulmonar (LFIP), Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Nellessen
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fisioterapia Pulmonar (LFIP), Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nidia A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hernandes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Exercise Physiology (LACEP), Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
authors.forename: J Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Neder
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fisioterapia Pulmonar (LFIP), Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: fabiopitta@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pitta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D000070857:Walk Test / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Chronic obstructive; Exercise; Exercise test; Pulmonary disease; Validation studies