Oxygen uptake efficiency slope in community-dwelling ambulant stroke survivors during walking and stair climbing: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Oxygen uptake efficiency slope during submaximal tests has been proposed as a more appropriate measure of aerobic capacity after suffering a stroke, since some individuals cannot tolerate maximal exercise testing. However, it has not yet been investigated whether the oxygen uptake efficiency slope is able to differentiate between healthy individuals and those who have suffered a stroke.

Objectives: To compare the oxygen uptake efficiency slope during walking and stair climbing between stroke survivors and age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 18 individuals who had suffered a stroke (stroke survivors) and 18 healthy controls matched for sex and age were included. Oxygen consumption and minute ventilation were collected breath-by-breath during walking (6-min Walk Test) and stair climbing. The oxygen uptake efficiency slope was estimated by the slope of the line obtained through linear regression.

Results: The stroke survivors had a lower oxygen uptake efficiency slope during the 6-min Walk Test than the healthy controls (MD 498, 95% CI 122 to 873, = .01). The between-group difference for the Stair Test was smaller and not statistically significant (MD 349, 95%CI -73 to 772, = .10).

Conclusions: Stroke survivors had lower oxygen uptake efficiency slope during the performance of the 6-min Walk Test when compared to sex- and age-matched healthy controls. This suggests that stroke survivors have worse cardiopulmonary capacity.