Background: The one-minute sit-to-stand-test (1-min STST) is a quick, space saving test to evaluate functional capacity. Exercise testing plays an important role in the long-term follow-up of pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients and is currently evaluated using the six-minute-walk-test (6MWT). The aim of the study was to analyze whether the 1-min-STST performance correlates with the 6MWT in PH patients and is associated with markers of PH severity.

Methods: We evaluated 106 PH patients with the 1-min-STST and 6MWT and measured cardiorespiratory parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation) before and after test conduction. N-terminal pro brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), WHO functional class (WHO-FC) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) were defined as markers of PH severity.

Results: Performances of 1-min STST and 6MWT correlated significantly (r?=?.711, p <.001, see Figure 1). Both tests were inversely associated with NT-proBNP (STST: r = -.405, p <.001; 6MWT: r = -.358, p <.001), WHO-FC (STST: r = -.591, p <.001; 6MWT: r = -.643, p <.001) and mPAP (STST: r = -.280, p <.001; 6MWT: r = -.250, p < .001). Significant changes in cardiorespiratory parameters were observed in both tests (all p < 0.001). Further the post-exercise cardiorespiratory parameters correlated strongly between the 1-min STST and 6MWT (all r ? .651, all p < .001).

Conclusion: In our study, the 1-min STST performance showed significant correlation to the 6MWT and caused similar cardiorespiratory responses. Furthermore, the 1-min STST correlated with markers of disease severity in patients with PH.