Investigators who evaluated predictive results for a standard pediatric tool, the six–minute walk test (6MWT), found that existing prediction equations developed for healthy children are not valid for children with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Therefore, they developed and validated a walk test prediction equation for children with PH. Children with congenital heart disease and PH are often small for their age, so the prediction equations for the distance covered in the 6MWT are a poor fit for this population.

The study team retrospectively analyzed results from 711 6MWTs in children with PH, aged 4 to 18 years. All five of the existing pediatric prediction equations overestimated the walk distance among this patient population.

The researchers created a new model, the Denver equation, taking into account differences in height, weight, heart rates, and the presence of congenital heart disease or a shunt.

They validated this model with additional 6MWTs, and present it as a new reference for medical care and management of children with PH.

The study was presented at the 20th Annual Update on Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease.