Evaluation of Cardiorespiratory Fitness with a Simple Standardized Stair Climbing Test in Comparison to Standard Treadmill Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) and 6-Minute Walking Test

Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is known to be a prognostic factor regarding long time morbidity and mortality. Exercise training, sports and an in general increased level of physical activity showed a positive effect on cardiorespiratory fitness and consecutively on the duration of lifetime, morbidity and quality of life in healthy people. Nevertheless, CRF measurements is not included in routine assessment of patients. Currently, spiroergometry is mostly used as gold standard but often restricted to specific indications and to assess an individual ́s exercise capacity. As an alternative 6-minute walking test (6MWT) is used in patients with reduced exercise capacity. The aim of our project is to develop a standardized stair climbing test (SCT) with a reliable correlation to spiroergometry and 6MWT.

Methods: We evaluated the CRF in different groups—healthy children and adults, obese adults and artificial overweight adults, Fontan patients and patients after heart transplantation. The individuals' CRF was tested by a treadmill CPET and 6MWT (protocols recommended by the German association of pediatric cardiology and congenital heart disease (DGPK)) and a newly developed SCT. For the SCT we defined a standardized Stair Climbing Test (SCT) protocol covering four floors with a total height of 13.14 m. To compare the SCT, the 6-minute walking test and the CPET we developed a SCT-Index. In another approach we evaluated the reliability of our SCT by performing it on different times with various examiners.

Results: Our results showed significant correlations between several variables. A strong correlation was observed between SCT index and O2 pulse. Similar correlations were found when comparing the time achieved during SCT (tSCT) with VO2max (mL/min/kg) and VO2max (mL/min). Finally, we determined a correlation between SCT-Index and VO2max (mL/min) and VO2max (mL/min/kg). Details with numbers will be presented at this meeting.

Conclusion: We could show that there is a significant correlation between the SCT and the treadmill CPET. The SCT is an easy, cost effective and reliable cardiorespiratory fitness test and can be used as an alternative to treadmill CPET during routine check-ups or at least additional to CPET to evaluate the CRF in different groups, including obese individuals, Fontan patients and patients after heart transplantation.

Publication History

Article published online:
13 February 2024