Reduced customary activity in chronic heart failure: assessment with a new shoe-mounted pedometer

Although many methods exist to assess the degree of incapacity of patients with chronic heart failure during normal daily activities, all have their limitations. In this study we describe a new shoe-mounted pedometer and compare it with body worn pedometers in normal volunteers and in patients with chronic heart failure. Ten young normal healthy volunteers participated in a comparison of the new shoe-mounted device with body born pedometers and counting a direct footfall. Seventeen patients with chronic heart failure and 10 aged-matched healthy elderly subjects participated in a comparison of both pedometers over 7 days. In the young volunteers the shoe-mounted pedometers were more accurate than the body-borne devices. With both pedometers the patients with chronic heart failure had a reduced level of activity compared with the normal volunteers over the 1 week period (P = 0.01). In both the patients and volunteers the shoe-mounted device recorded a higher score than the body borne pedometers (P < 0.01). The electronic shoe mounted pedometers are a more accurate way of assessing customary activity. In patients with chronic heart failure customary activity is substantially reduced compared with fit healthy elderly subjects.