Trial reportInternational journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease2016
Three-minute constant rate step test for detecting exertional dyspnea relief after bronchodilation in COPD.
Trial report in International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04911764 (Ability of the 3-minute Step Test Protocol for Detecting Exercise Desaturation Episodes in Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Ability of the 3-minute Step Test Protocol for Detecting Exercise Desaturation Episodes in Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency: Protocol STEPSAT: Three-min Step Test and Exercise Desaturation Detection in Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency Patients
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Supplemental oxygen for symptomatic relief in people with serious respiratory illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025Pooled it
- Fixed-intensity exercise tests to measure exertional dyspnoea in chronic heart and lung populations: a systematic review.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2023Pooled it
- Measurement properties of step tests for exercise capacity in COPD: A systematic review.Clinical rehabilitation · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of fan-to-face therapy on exertional breathlessness in adults with chronic lung disease.ERJ open research · 2026Article
- Tele-Rehabilitation Interventions for Motor Symptoms in COVID-19 Patients: A Narrative Review.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Exertional multidimensional dyspnoea predicts exacerbation in stable outpatients with COPD.ERJ open research · 2021Article
- Predicting the rate of oxygen consumption during the 3-minute constant-rate stair stepping and shuttle tests in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Journal of thoracic disease · 2020Article
- Linguistic Validation of the Japanese Version of the Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile and Relation to Physical Activity in Patients with COPD.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseArticle
- Home-based or remote exercise testing in chronic respiratory disease, during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: A rapid review.Chronic respiratory diseaseReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the responsiveness of the 3-minute constant rate step test (3-MST) to detect the relief of exertional dyspnea (respiratory discomfort) after acute bronchodilation in COPD patients. PATIENTS AND
methodsA total of 40 patients with moderate-to-severe COPD (mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second: 45.7 (±14.7), % predicted) performed four 3-MSTs at randomly assigned stepping rates of 14, 16, 20 and 24 steps/min after inhalation of nebulized ipratropium bromide (500 µg)/salbutamol (2.5 mg) and saline placebo, which were randomized to order. Patients rated their intensity of perceived dyspnea at the end of each 3-MST using Borg 0-10 category ratio scale.
resultsA total of 37 (92.5%), 36 (90%), 34 (85%) and 27 (67.5%) patients completed all 3 minutes of exercise at 14, 16, 20 and 24 steps/min under both treatment conditions, respectively. Compared with placebo, ipratropium bromide/salbutamol significantly decreased dyspnea at the end of the third minute of exercise at 14 steps/min (by 0.6±1.0 Borg 0-10 scale units,
conclusionThe 3-MST, when performed at 14 and 16 steps/min, was responsive to detect the relief of exertional dyspnea after acute bronchodilation in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.
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Registered trials
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