Relationship of maximum walking speed with peak oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold in male patients with heart failure

This retrospective observational study aimed to examine the relationships of maximum walking speed (MWS) with peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2) and anaerobic threshold (AT) obtained by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) in patients with heart failure. The study participants were 104 consecutive men aged ≥ 20 years who had been hospitalized or had undergone outpatient care at our hospital for heart failure between February 2019 and January 2023. MWS was measured in a 5-m section with a 1-m run-up before and after the course. Multivariable analysis was used to examine the association between MWS and peak VO2 and AT by CPX. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that MWS was positively correlated with percent-predicted peak VO2 and percent-predicted AT (r = 0.463, p < 0.001; and r = 0.485, p < 0.001, respectively). In the multiple linear regression analysis employing percent-predicted peak VO2 and percent-predicted AT as the objective variables, only MWS demonstrated a significant positive correlation (standardized β: 0.471, p < 0.001 and 0.362, p < 0.001, respectively). Multiple logistic regression analyses, using an 80% cutoff in percent-predicted peak VO2 and AT, revealed that only MWS was identified as a significant factor in both cases (odds ratio [OR]: 1.239, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.071–1.432, p = 0.004 and OR: 1.469, 95% CI: 1.194–1.807, p < 0.001, respectively). MWS was correlated with peak VO2 and AT in male patients with heart failure. The MWS measurement as a screening test for exercise tolerance may provide a simple means of estimating peak VO2 and AT in heart failure patients.