Santiago, Chile
Exercise capacity can be evaluated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), measuring the distance that patients are able to walk in 6 minutes (six-minute walk distance test; 6WDT). This test is simple to perform, inexpensive, reproducible and safe. It has been frequently employed for the assessment of COPD patients due to its high prognostic valué of mortality and its usefulness to evalúate long-term of therapeutic interventions. In severe stages of the disease, the declining results of the best are useful to detect worsening. This review describes the method, standardization and reference valúes for the 6WDY and the results obtained with different therapeutic interventions, based on data from the literature and from the authors experíence. We also review its predictive valué for mortality and its valué in the assessment of patients with more severe COPD.
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