Preoperative six-minute walk distance (6MWD) is significantly associated with post-lung transplant survival, according to a study published in the October 1st issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Reasearchers from Duke University Medical Center evaluated 9,526 adult, first-time, lung-only transplantation patients and found that the median 6MWD was 787 feet and that increasing 6MWD was associated with significantly lower overall hazard of death.
There was an incremental survival advantage conferred by continuous increase in walk distance through 1,200 to 1,400 feet.
Six-Minute Walk Distance Predicts Lung Transplant Survival
