biostudies-literatureWijeysundera DNHealth and Medical Research Funds, Government of Hong Kong SAROttawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization Innovation FundCanadian Institutes of Health ResearchPSI Foundatione113111https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12778347biostudies-literatureUnknown16(1)<h4>Introduction</h4>Poor cardiopulmonary fitness is an important risk factor for postoperative complications, yet a feasible, objective and prognostically accurate method to assess preoperative fitness has not been established. The 6 min walk test (6MWT) is a simple, inexpensive and widely applicable measure that shows promise for predicting postoperative risk. However, robust data are lacking on whether the 6MWT accurately predicts complications, provides incremental prognostic value beyond routinely collected clinical factors or outperforms simpler alternatives such as questionnaires, cardiac biomarkers or grip strength testing. The Functional Assessment for Surgery by a Timed Walk (FAST Walk) study is designed to address these knowledge gaps by evaluating whether the 6MWT improves predBMJ openFunctional Assessment for Surgery by a Timed Walk (FAST Walk) study: protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study of the 6 min walk test for preoperative risk stratification in major non-cardiac surgery.PMC127783472021-250911220156PJT- 178021Hour KComeau EMonterola MVan Roekel JVandenbroucke-Menu FCuthbertson BHThorleifson MDKerelska TDoornick ALapierre DNg FFKCamire DWatkins TLee MCSHutton JXu KPreston MSyeda NFAvramescu SBabul AMcCluskey SALo EEdwards NRojas CPuts MTEMacdonell SYParotto MEhtesham SRussell SLo NLebovic GQuintero Beltran OMcIsaac DITrudi LMacKenzie SWilmhurst LRunions KLouridas MLadha KSPazmino-Canizares JAlibhai SMHLee EHui KYLee BChergui IFAST Walk Study InvestigatorsBoko MFDumerton DBagry HPoonawala HThomas ZPierini MJerath AAlphonsus CAlhusseini NZasso FBLee SMGurbhele SCheng BCPWijeysundera DNGoel AKhodaei SAlexis SMahale NSanta Mina DGirling LKaranicolas PBastos MLSSiddiqui NNankam Avan Vlymen JMPereira SMWang AMing DYKaur RChan KKChisholm CNaydenova MDuceppe Evan Waes JTejani NLau VNMAngkurawanit PKam ECWRao KMozel MChan CSDubowitz JYip RPLHladkowicz Evan Klei WAEvans BLi ECharummoottil SRiedel BSumathi SKeown-Stoneman CNayar RLau ECHChesney TRChan AKMKhadaroo RMills PArki EShaheen SPerlas AKrasner NChowdhury JSerrano PEDaramola FTod RLapointe CKhan JSLuyan JChoi SLam CKMRacz EKaustov LYau JSKRaptis RTahasildar BZahin AGunaseelan SStobart LVives MMartin ALie GSalbach NMGiron-Arongo LGranton JTAmado LRobertson DChan MTVSathasivam CNg WTFlexman AfalseFunctional Assessment for Surgery by a Timed Walk (FAST Walk) study: protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study of the 6 min walk test for preoperative risk stratification in major non-cardiac surgery.<h4>Introduction</h4>Poor cardiopulmonary fitness is an important risk factor for postoperative complications, yet a feasible, objective and prognostically accurate method to assess preoperative fitness has not been established. The 6 min walk test (6MWT) is a simple, inexpensive and widely applicable measure that shows promise for predicting postoperative risk. However, robust data are lacking on whether the 6MWT accurately predicts complications, provides incremental prognostic value beyond routinely collected clinical factors or outperforms simpler alternatives such as questionnaires, cardiac biomarkers or grip strength testing. The Functional Assessment for Surgery by a Timed Walk (FAST Walk) study is designed to address these knowledge gaps by evaluating whether the 6MWT improves pred2026-01-01T00:00:00Z2026 Jan2026-07-15T06:17:01.49Z2026-06-30T03:16:39.811ZS-EPMC127783474149085710.1136/bmjopen-2025-113111