The 6-minute walk test can check on your cardio-pulmonary function, including exercise endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, and cardiovascular function. The medical staff will monitor your physiological values at the same time, including heart rate, blood oxygen level, and blood pressure, which will be used as indicators in the exercise design and rehabilitation progress for your cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.

Target

• Those diagnosed by doctors as patients with heart related diseases and chronic pulmonary diseases such as cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, congenital heart defect, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease, respiratory diseases, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.

Procedures

• Wear comfortable and breathing clothes and sneakers.
• Use your usual walking assistance device (e.g. crutch and mobility aid). 
• Put on the portable pulse oximeter, blood pressure and heart rate analyzer.
• During the test, please walk in the fastest speed and comfortably, back and forth within the suitable distance (30 meters or more). Do not run. If you feel tired or sore feet during the walk, you can adjust to slow down and even rest to take a break or directly end the test.
• The distance, heart rate, blood pressure, condition of breathing difficulty, and changes in blood oxygen saturation level during the 6-minut walking will be concurrently recorded.

Instructions During Test Procedures

Although the 6-minute walk test is a safe and effective test, please pay close attention to the following conditions:

• In case the tester needs a cardiopulmonary equipment during the walk, use an oxygen tank or oxygen mask as needed.
• No excessive eating and drinking before the test.
• Avoid staying up the night before and overwork the day before the test.
• Avoid excessive exercise 3 hours before the test.
• Stop immediately should any discomfort is experienced. For example, chest tightness, chest pain, out of breath, dizziness, breathing difficulty, cold sweat, and pale face.
• The person taking the test should do his/her best walk back and forth during the 6-minute walk test. Do not talk or chat, or run during the walk.
• This test is unsuitable for those with lower extremity balance problem and lower extremity structural injury. For example, amputation, post lumbar vertebra surgery and acute ankle sprain.