Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2025 Oct 29:S0003-9993(25)00999-2. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2025.10.009. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility, safety, and performance of the 6-Minute Step Test (6MST) in hospitalized patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
DESIGN: Longitudinal observational cohort study.
SETTING: Hospitalization, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six hospitalized patients scheduled for HSCT, aged over 18 years, of both sexes, were invited to participate in the study.
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.
MAIN OUTCOMES: Primary outcomes - feasibility (recruitment rate: number of patients invited and who agreed to participate; attrition rate: number of patients who agreed but could not participate due to an adverse clinical condition) and safety (number of adverse events per number of 6MST tests performed). Secondary outcome - patient performance in the test (number of steps, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and perceived exertion).
RESULTS: All patients agreed to participate in the study (recruitment rate=100%) and were submitted to autologous HSCT. Of these, two patients could not perform the 6MST at hospital discharge due to postural or clinical instability (attrition rate=5.6%). Five adverse events occurred in 70 tests (1 bleeding episode, 1 loss of central venous access, 1 vomiting episode, 1 oxygen desaturation, and 1 pre-syncope), representing 7.1% of the total tests. One adverse event occurred at hospital admission (2.8%), while four occurred at discharge (11.7%). Patients demonstrated similar exercise capacity at admission and discharge (107.6±25.9 vs. 102.1±29.9), but with increased hemodynamic response and perceived exertion at discharge (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The 6MST is a feasible assessment for patients hospitalized for autologous HSCT. However, it is associated with a higher incidence of adverse events at discharge compared to hospital admission.
PMID:41173121 | DOI:10.1016/j.apmr.2025.10.009