Abstract

Increasing severity of COPD is associated with frequent exacerbations and need for hospitalization, but for every stage of severity, severe exacerbations are associated with increase in short and long term all-cause mortality. Exacerbations have a negative impact on prognosis and mortality. The six minute walk test (6MWT) is a simple test used to measure the functional capacity of patients with respiratory disorders. The test measures the distance (6MWD; meters) that a patient can quickly walk on a flat hard surface in a period of six minutes. Each patient was explained about the procedure prior to the test. The test was performed on a hospital hallway measuring 100 feet in length. Within group comparison, there was statistical significant difference seen both in intervention (P .0005) and control group (P .0005) compared to baseline. In intervention group it improved from 170.3 to 210.7mts, whereas it changed from 172 to 192mts in control group, these values show more significant change was in intervention group than control group.

Description