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Six-minute walk test: prognostic value and effects of nebivolol versus placebo in elderly patients with heart failure from the SENIORS trial

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Abstract

Background

There is limited information about the 6-min walk test (6MWT) in elderly patients with heart failure. We evaluated 6MWT and the effect of nebivolol on 6MWT from the SENIORS trial.

Methods and results

The SENIORS trial evaluated nebivolol versus placebo on death and hospitalisation in patients aged ≥ 70 years with heart failure. A total of 1982 patients undertook a 6MWT at baseline and 1716 patients at 6 months. Patients were divided into tertiles (≤ 200 m, 201 to ≤ 300 m and > 300 m) and to change in distance walked between baseline and 6 months (< 0 m, 0 to < 30 m and ≥ 30 m). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality and cardiovascular hospital admission. Secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Baseline walk distance of ≤ 200 m incurred a greater risk of the primary and secondary outcomes (HR 1.41, CI 95% 1.17–1.69, p < 0.001) and (HR 1.37, CI 95% 1.05–1.78, p = 0.019). A decline in walk distance over 6 months was associated with increased risk of clinical events. Nebivolol had no influence on change in walk distance over 6 months.

Conclusions

The 6MWT has prognostic utility in elderly patients. Those who walked less than 200 m were at highest risk. Nebivolol had no effect on 6MWT.

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Funding

The original SENIORS trial was sponsored by Menarini Research, Italy. The funding source had no role in the design, analysis or interpretation of the data.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alberta, and Covenant Health, Misericordia Hospital, Suite 362, Heritage Medical Research Centre, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2C8, Canada

    Marcelo C. Shibata

  2. University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK

    Jordan Curl-Roper & Marcus Flather

  3. Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Dirk J. Van Veldhuisen

  4. Novartis Campus, Basel, Switzerland

    Michael Roughton

  5. Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    Andrew J. S. Coats

Authors
  1. Marcelo C. Shibata
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  2. Jordan Curl-Roper
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  3. Dirk J. Van Veldhuisen
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  4. Michael Roughton
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  5. Andrew J. S. Coats
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  6. Marcus Flather
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcelo C. Shibata.

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None to declare for this analysis.

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Shibata, M.C., Curl-Roper, J., Van Veldhuisen, D.J. et al. Six-minute walk test: prognostic value and effects of nebivolol versus placebo in elderly patients with heart failure from the SENIORS trial. Clin Res Cardiol 110, 1193–1201 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-020-01768-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-020-01768-w

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