How to interpret a cardiorespiratory fitness assessment - Key measures that provide the best picture of health, disease status and prognosis

Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 Mar-Apr:83:23-28. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2024.02.014. Epub 2024 Feb 28.

Abstract

Graded exercise testing is a widely accepted tool for revealing cardiac ischemia and/or arrhythmias in clinical settings. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) measures expired gases during a graded exercise test making it a versatile tool that helps reveal underlying physiologic abnormalities that are in many cases only present with exertion. It also characterizes one's health status and clinical trajectory, informs the therapeutic plan, evaluates the efficacy of therapy, and provides submaximal and maximal information that can be used to tailor an exercise intervention. Practitioners can also modify the mode and protocol to allow individuals of all ages, fitness levels, and most disease states to perform a CPET. When used to its full potential, CPET can be a key tool used to optimize care in primary and secondary prevention settings.

Keywords: Cardiopulmonary; Cardiorespiratory fitness; Exercise testing.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiorespiratory Fitness*
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / diagnosis
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / physiopathology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / prevention & control
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / therapy
  • Exercise Test*
  • Exercise Tolerance
  • Health Status
  • Humans
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prognosis