Pulmonary Rehab, Dyspnea, Walk and Step Testing in COPD

Constant Rate Shuttle Walking and Stair Stepping Tests to Assess Exertional Dyspnea in COPD: Responsiveness to Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Minimal Clinically Important Difference

This is a multi-site collaborative study that will be done in the context of three Quebec hospitals' outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programs: Montreal Chest Institute; University of Laval, and Hopital Sacre-Coeur Montreal. The objectives are two-fold. First, to determine the Minimal Clinical Important Difference in intensity ratings of perceived breathlessness for each of the 3-min constant rate shuttle walking (3-MWT) and stair stepping (3-MST) protocols in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Second, to test the hypothesis that both the 3-MWT and 3-MST protocols are able to detect statistically significant and clinically-meaningful improvements in exertional breathlessness following an 7-12 week outpatient rehabilitative exercise training program in COPD.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or Female
• Ambulatory
• Moderate-to-very severe COPD (GOLD Stage 2-4)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Respiratory exacerbation in the previous 6 weeks
• Change in medication dosage/frequency in the previous 6 weeks
• Clinical evidence of asthma
• Cardiovascular and/or neuromuscular diseases that are unstable and/or that may contribute to exercise limitation
• Any other contraindications to exercise training/testing