The one-minute sit-to-stand test is an alternative to the 6-minute walk test in patients with atrial fibrillation: A cross-sectional study and ROC curve analysis.

Background: The one-minute sit-to-stand test (1STST) is an easy-to-administer, space and time-saving test for determining functional exercise capacity in cardiac disease. This study aimed to investigate the 1STSt-test-retest reliability and convergent validity and compare its physiological responses to the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with Atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: Forty-five patients with AF were included in this study. Functional exercise capacity was evaluated using the 1STST and 6MWT. For assessing test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots were utilised. Convergent validity was determined by correlation analysis 1 STST and 6MWT, age, European Heart Rhythm Association score, ejection fraction, and quality of life. The cut-off point of 1STST was defined using ROC analysis.

Results: With an intraclass correlation coefficient value of 0.975 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.954-0.986], the 1STST demonstrated excellent-test-retest reliability. Physiological responses after tests were similar in the 1STST and 6MWT (p > 0.05). The number of 1STST repetitions was strongly associated with 6MWT distance (r = 0.809; p < 0.001). A cut-off value of ≤13 repetitions in the number of 1STST repetitions was defined as functional impairment related to an increased risk of clinical events [sensitivity: 100 %, specificity: 84.6 %; AUC:0.94; 95 % CI 0.82 to 0.98; p < 0.001].

Conclusions: The 1STST is a reliable and valid assessment tool that produced comparable hemodynamic responses to the 6MWT in patients with AF. Considering its feasibility and time efficiency, healthcare professionals can use the 1STST rather than the 6MWT test to measure functional exercise status in a constrained environment for this patient group.