Assessment of the physical capacity in patients hospitalized with COPD

Introduction: Pathological changes in small airways and systemic COPD features affects physical capacity in COPD patients and common activities of daily living like walking and moving from sitting to standing. Six-minute walking test (6MWT) and sit to stand tests are simple and cheap ways to evaluate physical performance, however 6MWT is more time consuming and requires walking distance. Aim(s): To evaluate physical capacity in COPD patients with 6MWT, thirty second sit to stand test(30STS) and five repetition sit to stand test (5RSTS). Method(s): Analytic-cross sectional study that included COPD patients from therapy departments of Riga Eastern university hospital Gailezers, Latvia. Physical performance of patients was evaluated with 6MWT, 5RSTS and 30STS. We monitored blood pressure, heart rate, dyspnea (Borg scale) and oxygen saturation during tests to analyze physiological response. Correlation between 6MWT, 5STS, 30STS were assessed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rs), absolute changes in hemodynamic parameters before and after the tests ware compared using Wilcoxon test. Result(s): 41 patient (mean age= 73,4+/-9,1 years) with COPD was included. Was found positive correlation between 6MWT and 30STS (rs=0,537; p=0,001) and negative-between 6MWT and 5RSTS (rs=-0,534; p=0,001). Both sit to stand tests correlated negatively (rs=-0,858; p=0,001). Conducting 30STS test there were found lower change in systolic blood pressure (<0,001), heart rate (p=0,029), oxygen saturation (p=0,029) and dyspnea (p=0,005), then in 6MWT. <strongs> Conclusions: 30STS could be alternative test to 6MWT for evaluation of physical capacity in deconditioned COPD patients, and it produces less hemodynamic stress.