| dc.description.abstract | Background: Assessing cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in the pulmonary rehabilitation setup can be beneficial for diagnostic purposes as well as planning an individualized rehabilitation program. This study aims to evaluate the validity of the Ekblom-Bak submaximal test (EB-test) to assess cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in COPD patients undergoing rehabilitation. The validity of the6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) was also investigated, as it is the standard test used to assess CRF in COPD patients.
Method: 15 COPD patients (11 female and 4 male) undergoing rehabilitation were recruited, with age range 49-79 years, BMI 26.1±4.6, and COPD grade 2-4. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) was measured from a maximal exercise test on a treadmill. Estimated VO2peak was calculated from EB-test and 6MWT using prediction equations. Participants performed a maximal exercise test, EB-test, and 6MWT on different days, with minimum 24 hours interval between the tests.
Result: 7 out of 15 participants were unable to complete the EB-test. The correlation between the measured VO2peak and estimated VO2peak from EB-test (n=8) was moderate (r=0.31, p=0.459) and 6MWT (n=5) was strong (r=0.77, p=0.127). Both EB-test and 6MWT overestimated VO2peak by 30% and 17% respectively, compared to measured VO2peak. 6MWT had better precision in estimating VO2peak compared to EB-test with a lesser coefficient of variation (11% VS 23%) and SEE (0.18 L.min-1 Vs 0.27 L.min-1).
Conclusion: This study suggests that EB-test is not valid in COPD patients to assess CRF as it greatly overestimates VO2peak and may not be well-tolerated in most COPD patients. The commonly used standard 6MWT seems to estimate VO2peak with better precision and is better tolerated than EB-test in COPD patients. 6MWT may be a better option compared to EB-test to assess CRF in COPD patients in a rehabilitation setup. | |