RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The functional evaluation has become increasingly important in the understanding and management of patients with interstitial lung diseases. The cardiopulmonary exercise test and the six-minute walk test (6MWT), through their isolated variables, have been used to do this evaluation, with some limitations. OBJECTIVES: We proposed a new composite index (desaturation distance ratio using continuous peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and the distance walked as a more reliable tool for doing a functional evaluation of these patients. METHODS: 6MWT was performed by interstitial lung diseases patients and controls. Analyzed parameters were walked distance and desaturation area (DAO2), obtained by taking the difference between maximal SpO2 possible (100 percent) and patient's SpO2 every 2 seconds. desaturation distance ratio was calculated using the ratio between DAO2 and distance walked. RESULTS: Forty-nine interstitial lung diseases patients and 11 control subjects completed the protocol. The mean (SD) age was 60 (12) years and 65 (9) years, respectively (p:NS). Data obtained from 6MWT showed a significant statistical difference between interstitial lung diseases patients and controls: mean walked distance (430 and 602 meters, respectively); SpO2 minimal maintained at least 10 seconds - SpO2 min (85 percent and 94 percent, respectively), and median desaturation distance ratio (10 and 2.5, respectively). A correlation analysis, considering interstitial lung diseases patients, revealed the best correlation between desaturation distance ratio and DLco (r= - 0.72; p<0.001), being the correlation between SpO2 min and DLco of 0.61 (p<0.001) and among walked distance and DLco of 0.58 (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Desaturation distance ratio is a promising concept and a more reliable physiologic tool to assess pulmonary diseases characterized by involvement of the alveolar-capillary membrane, such as interstitial lung diseases.