Prognostic value of a 6-minute walk test in patients with chronic heart failure prequalified for heart transplantation in 12-month follow-up.

Aim
A 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a simple test in the diagnosis of heart failure (HF). The aim of the study was to assess the effect of 6-minute walk distance on the occurrence of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE), defined as cardiovascular death or hospitalization for HF exacerbation in patients with HF, prequalified to heart transplantation.

Material and methods
46 patients were subjected to a prospective one-year follow-up study. They were diagnosed with HF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in NYHA class II and III, with reduced LVEF < 35%. Each patient was initially subjected to a 6MWT, repeated every 3 months during the follow-up visits.

Results
During the 12-month period, a composite endpoint (MACE +) was observed in 23 patients (50.0%), including 17 patients (37.0%) with HF exacerbation, 6 patients (13.0%) died. MACE (+) patients covered a shorter distance than those in the MACE (-) group. A statistically significantly lower mean value of the distance covered in the walk test was observed in the group of patients who died compared to the group of patients without HF exacerbation. Also, at the level of a statistical trend, patients who died had a lower mean value of the distance covered compared to patients with HF exacerbation.

Conclusions
The 6MWT is a useful and simple tool that allows to evaluate the prognosis in patients with chronic HF with reduced LVEF. High specificity of the test is an additional advantage confirming its diagnostic value.