Six Minute Walk Test and post-operative morbidity
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Six Minute Walk Test as a predictor of the morbidity following major elective colorectal surgery.
IRAS ID
160589
Contact name
Kieran Donnelly
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Major surgery causes increased stress on organ systems both during and after surgery. A patients risk of complications following major surgery depends in part on their cardio-vascular fitness.
An assessment of patient cardio-respiratory ‘reserve’ or ‘function’ can be achieved via formal exercise testing (CPEX - cardio-pulmonary exercise test), however this is expensive and time consuming. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is proposed as a simple alternative; the further someone can walk in a six-minutes, the better their cardiorespiratory function. It is already used to measure cardio-respiratory function in chronic lung disease and is very safe. Studies have shown the link between the distance walked and cardio-respiratory function can be a predictor of complications after surgery, though this has not been adequately assessed using the 6MWT.
We will evaluate 100 patients using the 6MWT during a routine pre-operative clinic appointment who are to undergo major bowel surgery. We seek to establish whether;
1. The distance walked during the test can predict the presence of complications 30 and 90 days after the operation
2. This prediction is as good as a commonly used pre-operative prediction score – the ‘POSSUM’ score
3. Combining the distance walked during the 6MWT with the POSSUM score will improve overall prediction of post-operative complications
4. The 6MWT is ‘acceptable’ to patients.The data collected before the operation is routine information such as basic demographics, blood tests and medical history.
Data specific to the 6MWT includes vital signs before, during and after the test. Neither the patient nor clinical team treating the patient will know the results of the 6MWT.
Further data would be retrieved from patient notes/records and via a structured telephoneinterview at 30 and 90 days after surgery. It would include the presence of any complications, unplanned need for intensive care, and emergency hospital readmission.REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0237
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion