Evaluation of exercise tests to assess idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A comparative assessment of the relationship between measurements made in an incremental shuttle walk test and an incremental cycle ergometry test in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
IRAS ID
222072
Contact name
David Parr
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research, Development & Innovation. University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
What is the role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in the assessment of patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?
How do patients' subjective experiences of the tests compare?
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and potentially fatal lung disease. As IPF progresses, patients become increasingly breathless with reduced exercise capacity and quality of life. Average life expectancy is three years from diagnosis but IPF progresses at different rates in different people. In 2012 the British Lung Foundation estimated that 32,500 in the UK had IPF.
An accurate prognosis can help determine the most appropriate individual treatment option and allow patients and their families to make suitable plans. Currently, measurements from resting lung function tests are used to predict prognosis. However, measurement made during CPET are more sensitive survival predictors and CPET is the gold standard test to assess prognosis in IPF. A CPET test is relatively time-consuming and requires specialist equipment that is not universally available. CPET is not routinely used in clinical practice for the assessment of IPF.
The incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT) is quicker, cheaper and more widely available than CPET. This study builds on previous research from our department which showed a linear relationship between the distance walked in an ISWT and peak oxygen consumption during a CPET, a useful prognostic predictor, in patients with interstitial lung disease. 40-50 patients with IPF will be recruited and will undertake both ISWT and CPET at University Hospital, Coventry. We will compare the results in the current cohort to those of the previous study.
Additionally, we will compare oxygen pressure in capillary blood at the end of an ISWT and a CPET. We will also compare patient experience of the two tests using questionnaires. This study paves the way for a simple, standardised test to more accurately predict prognosis in IPF.REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1953
Date of REC Opinion
8 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion