Heart Rate Recovery After 6-min Walking Test Predicts Acute Exacerbation in COPD

Introduction Abnormalities of autonomic function have been reported in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our objectives were to identify determinants of abnormal heart rate recovery at 1 min (HRR1) following completion of the 6-min walk test (6MWT) in COPD and to establish whether abnormal HRR1 predicts acute exacerbations (AECOPD).