The 6-min walk test (6MWT) has significant prognostic value, but requires long walking distances and lacks evaluation of exercise speed. This study aimed to investigate the clinical utility of a new walk test, the 18-meter walk test (18MWT), in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) as a complement to the 6MWT. In summary, a total of 117 patients with PAH from January 2018 to December 2022 were included. Spearman correlation, Cox regression, and Kaplan-Meier analysis were utilized to demonstrate the value of 18MWT in predicting disease severity and clinical worsening. The median time to complete the 18MWT was 12.8 s (interquartile range: 11.3-14.6 s). 18MWT completion time showed significant correlations with indicators such as N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and 6MWT distance. Adjusted Cox regression showed 18MWT time remained an independent predictor of clinical worsening (hazard ratio = 1.10
95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.21