Background: Heart rate recovery (HRR) is a measure of fitness and an indication of cardiac health. The decrease in heart rate occurring immediately after exercise is caused by increased vagal activity and sympathetic withdrawal occurring after exercise.
Objective: Our aim was to study the relationship between of the clinical severity of the lower limb artery disease (Fontaine classification) assessed during a 6-minute walking test and the decrease in heart rate (HR) from maximal exercise HR at 1-minute post-exercise (HRR1).
Material and method: We studied patients were enrolled from January to December 2021 and screened in the vascular function exploration unit of the Souro SANOU University Hospitalof Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, sub-Saharan Africa.
Results: A total of 98 patients were included with a mean age of 53.6 ± 11.2 years, predominantly female (60.2%). The mean values were:0.834 ± 0.16 for ABI, 77± 11 bpm for resting HR, 108 ± 14bpm for end-exercise HR, 15bpm ± 8bpm for HRR1, 296± 95 m for maximum walking distance. Among the groups of the Fontaine classification, group IV walked the least (224±115m) and had the smallest HRR1 (11±8 bpm).
Conclusion: Our study showed a significant relationship between HRR1 after a 6-minute walk test and the severity of lower limb ischemia. This could potentially lead to better peripheral arterial disease management strategies based on post-exercise cardiac recovery.

Heart rate, 6-minute walk test, heart rate recovery, ischemia