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Postgrad Med J 2007;83:675-682 doi:10.1136/hrt.2007.121558
  • Technology and guidelines
    • Review

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing and its application

  1. Khaled Albouaini,
  2. Mohaned Egred,
  3. Albert Alahmar,
  4. David Justin Wright
  1. Cardiothoracic Centre, Liverpool, UK
  1. Dr K Albouaini, Cardiothoracic Centre, Thomas Drive, Liverpool L14 3PE, UK; Albouaini{at}aol.com
  • Accepted 29 May 2007

Abstract

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing CPET has become an important clinical tool to evaluate exercise capacity and predict outcome in patients with heart failure and other cardiac conditions. It provides assessment of the integrative exercise responses involving the pulmonary, cardiovascular and skeletal muscle systems, which are not adequately reflected through the measurement of individual organ system function. CPET is being used increasingly in a wide spectrum of clinical applications for evaluation of undiagnosed exercise intolerance and for objective determination of functional capacity and impairment. This review focuses on the exercise physiology and physiological basis for functional exercise testing and discusses the methodology, indications, contraindications and interpretation of CPET in normal people and in patients with heart failure.

Footnotes

  • Conflict of interest: None declared.

  • This is a reprint of a paper that appeared in Heart, October 2007, Volume 93, pages 128592. Reprinted with kind permission of the authors and publisher.

  • Abbreviations:
    CHF
    congestive heart failure
    CPET
    cardiopulmonary exercise testing
    HF
    heart failure
    MET
    metabolic equivalent
    NYHA
    New York Heart Association
    PVo2
    peak Vo2
    RER
    respiratory exchange ratio
    RQ
    respiratory quotient
    VAT
    ventilatory anaerobic threshold

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