PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Albouaini, Khaled
AU  - Egred, Mohaned
AU  - Alahmar, Albert
AU  - Wright, David Justin
TI  - Cardiopulmonary exercise testing and its application
AID  - 10.1136/hrt.2007.121558
DP  - 2007 Nov 01
TA  - Postgraduate Medical Journal
PG  - 675--682
VI  - 83
IP  - 985
4099  - http://pmj.bmj.com/content/83/985/675.short
4100  - http://pmj.bmj.com/content/83/985/675.full
SO  - Postgrad Med J2007 Nov 01; 83
AB  - 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.