%0 Journal Article
%T The clinical utility of cardiopulmonary exercise testing: results of a university hospital
%A Tajana Jalusic-Gluncic
%J Journal of Experimental and Integrative Medicine
%D 2012
%I GESDAV
%R 10.5455/jeim.220612.or.038
%X Objective: To determine the main reasons for cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) referrals in our hospital over the last two years; to evaluate clinical usefulness of CPET. Methods: We included 207 patients between 17 and 76 years of age. For every patient, we measured electrocardigraphy (ECG), arterial blood gases, spirometry, maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) and diffusing capacity. CPET was then performed; using a treadmill, according to the modified Bruce protocol; then spirometry and diffusing capacity were repeated. Results: The most common reason for sending patients for CPET was dyspnea during exertion (85%), then preoperative assessment of lung cancer patients (11.6%), and preoperative assessment of heart transplant candidates (3.4%). After CPET in a dyspnea group, 33.5% had normal findings, 22.2% had pulmonary limitation, 31.8% had non pulmonary pathology, and 12.5% reached submaximal effort due to subjective problems (poor condition, feeling discomfort) but no objective reasons to stop. From a lung cancer group, 25% were deemed unsuitable surgical candidates, and 14.29% of a heart transplant group was recommended immediate surgery, the remainder needed re-evaluation. Conclusion: Dyspnea of unknown cause is optimally investigated with CPET, allowing us to differentiate between the major causes of limitation (lung, heart, cardiovascular, muscular) and, within each area, the specific causes of limitation. The most common diagnoses after CPET are pulmonary and cardiac diagnoses. CPET helps us to detect concurrent cardiovascular disease at respiratory impaired patients. CPET is the gold standard for evaluation of morbidity and mortality risk of lung cancer surgery and for selection of patients for heart transplant. [J Exp Integr Med 2012; 2(4): 297-303]
%K CPET
%K Dyspnea
%K Oxygen consumption
%K Preoperative assessment
%U http://www.scopemed.org/fulltextpdf.php?mno=18868