Timed Up and Go Test: An Underutilized Tool in Patients with
Chronic Respiratory Disease
Nikita Kulsange, Mariya Prakash Jiandani
Keywords :
Barthel index, cardiorespiratory responses, chronic respiratory diseases, oxygen desaturation, Timed Up and Go test
Citation Information :
Kulsange N, Jiandani MP. Timed Up and Go Test: An Underutilized Tool in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Disease. Indian J Respir Care 2022; 11 (4):373-377.
Background: Patients admitted with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) find it difficult to return to their day-to-day activities postdischarge due to muscle dysfunction and cardiorespiratory load. The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is extensively used for predicting falls; however, it is underutilized to assess the cardiorespiratory load. The study was designed to assess the time in seconds, the cardiorespiratory load including desaturation with TUG, and also the correlation if any between TUG time in seconds with oxygen saturation (SpO2) and Barthel Index score.
Materials and Methods: Hundred and twenty-eight patients admitted with CRDs in the age range of 40-70 years were included. Activities of daily living were scored on Barthel Index. TUG was carried out and changes in cardiorespiratory parameters, i.e., heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR), and SpO2 were noted.
Results: All cardiorespiratory parameters HR, BP, and RR showed a statistically significant change (P < 0.0001). There was a significant drop in SpO2 (mean 9%) post TUG. There was a significant but weak inverse correlation (r = 0.5069) observed between TUG in seconds and SpO2 at rest. There was no correlation between TUG and Barthel score. The mean time for TUG was 16.73 ± 3.11 s indicating a moderate risk of fall.
Conclusions: TUG leads to a significant change in cardiorespiratory parameters including SpO2. It can be used as a test to assess activity tolerance and the need for oxygen supplementation.
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