A study of the 200-metre fast walk test as a possible new assessment tool to predict maximal heart rate and define target heart rate for exercise training of coronary heart disease patients:

Objective:To develop a new predictive model of maximal heart rate based on two walking tests at different speeds (comfortable and brisk walking) as an alternative to a cardiopulmonary exercise test during cardiac rehabilitation.Design:Evaluation of a clinical assessment tool.Setting:A Cardiac Rehabilitation Department in France.Subjects:A total of 148 patients (133 men), mean age of 59 ±9 years, at the end of an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programme.Main measures:Patients successively performed a 6-minute walk test, a 200 m fast-walk test (200mFWT), and a cardiopulmonary exercise test, with measure of heart rate at the end of each test. An all-possible regression procedure was used to determine the best predictive regression models of maximal heart rate. The best model was compared with the Fox equation in term of predictive error of maximal heart rate using the paired t-test.Results:Results of the two walking tests correlated significantly with maximal heart rate determined during the cardiopulmona...