Exercise testing determines survival in patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease evaluated for lung transplantation

• Published in: Respiratory medicine Vol. 99; no. 11; pp. 1431 - 1439
• Main Authors: Kawut, Steven M., O’Shea, Mitchell K., Bartels, Matthew N., Wilt, Jessie S., Sonett, Joshua R., Arcasoy, Selim M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2005; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: 6-minute walk test; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon Monoxide - blood; Cohort Studies; Exercise Test; Female; Humans; Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - mortality; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - physiopathology; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - surgery; Lung transplantation; Lung Transplantation - mortality; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; New York; Oxygen Consumption; Pneumology; Predictive Value of Tests; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases; Retrospective Studies; Usual interstitial pneumonia; Walking; New York; ATS; CPET; VO 2; Usual interstitial pneumonia; DPLD; CI; Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; ROC; Lung transplantation; Exercise test; 6MWTD; V E/ VCO 2; VCO 2; VO 2/HR; 6-minute walk test; AT; DLCO; UIP; Diffuse; Physical exercise; Human; Lung disease; Prognosis; Respiratory disease; Idiopathic; Transplantation; Medical screening; Homotransplantation; Survival; Pulmonary fibrosis; Treatment; Surgery; Interstitial pneumonitis; Graft
• ISSN: 0954-6111; 1532-3064
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2005.03.007

Diffuse parenchymal lung disease is associated with a high risk of mortality despite early referral and listing for lung transplantation. We hypothesized that cardiopulmonary exercise test results and the distance walked in 6
min (6MWTD) would be associated with survival in patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease referred for lung transplantation.
Retrospective cohort study.
Tertiary care center.
We included 51 consecutive patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease who underwent exercise testing after referral to the Lung Transplant Program at the New York Presbyterian Hospital between January 2000 and December 2002. Thirty-three patients were listed, and 7 underwent transplantation during the study period. There were 17 deaths with 1 death post-transplantation.
A 6MWTD <350
m was associated with an increased risk of death (HR=4.6, 95% CI 1.5–14.2,
P
=
0.009
). Oxygen saturation with unloaded exercise (HR= 0.91, 95% CI 0.84–0.98,
P
=
0.015
) and oxygen consumption at peak exercise adjusted for weight (HR= 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.99,
P
=
0.039
) were also associated with the risk of death. A patient with oxygen saturation <95% during unloaded exercise had a 75% chance of dying on the list for transplantation. A patient with 6MWTD <350
m had a 67% chance of dying on the list.
Cardiopulmonary exercise test parameters and the 6MWTD were associated with the risk of death. Measures during exercise may be useful for determination of prognosis and for prioritizing patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease for lung transplantation.