Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in clinical practice: Principles, applications, and basic interpretation
Rev Port Cardiol. 2024 Apr 5:S0870-2551(24)00078-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.repc.2024.01.005.
Online ahead of print.
[Article in
English,
Portuguese]
Authors
Hélder Dores
1
, Miguel Mendes
2
, Ana Abreu
3
, Anaí Durazzo
2
, Cidália Rodrigues
4
, Eduardo Vilela
5
, Gonçalo Cunha
2
, José Gomes Pereira
6
, Luísa Bento
7
, Luís Moreno
8
, Paulo Dinis
9
, Sandra Amorim
10
, Susana Clemente
11
, Mário Santos
12
Affiliations
- 1 Department of Cardiology, Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal; CHRC, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal; NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: heldores@hotmail.com.
- 2 Department of Cardiology, Hospital de Santa Cruz, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Lisbon, Portugal.
- 3 Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Center, Department of Cardiology, Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, CHULN/Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, FMUL/CRECUL, Lisbon, Portugal; Ergometry Department, Department of Cardiology, Hospital de Santa Maria, CHULN, Lisbon, Portugal; Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, ISAMB, FMUL/Laboratório Associado Terra, Lisbon, Portugal; Instituto de Medicina Preventiva e Saúde Pública, IMPSP, FMUL, Lisbon, Portugal; Instituto de Medicina Nuclear, IMN, FMUL, Lisbon, Portugal; Cardiovascular Center, Universidade de Lisboa, CCUL, Centro Académico de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisbon, Portugal.
- 4 Department of Pulmonology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- 5 Department of Cardiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
- 6 Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal; Comité Olímpico de Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal; Desporsano - Sports Clinic, Lisbon, Portugal.
- 7 Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal.
- 8 Regimento de Comandos, Exército Português, Belas, Portugal; Hospital CUF Tejo, Lisbon, Portugal.
- 9 Department of Cardiology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Centro de Saúde Militar de Coimbra, Exército Português, Coimbra, Portugal.
- 10 Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, Portugal; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- 11 Department of Pulmonology, Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal; Department of Pulmonology, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, Portugal.
- 12 Department of Cardiology, Pulmonary Vascular Disease Unit, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Santo António, Porto, Portugal; CAC ICBAS-CHP - Centro Académico Clínico Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar - Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Santo António, Porto, Portugal; Department of Immuno-Physiology and Pharmacology, UMIB - Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; ITR - Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, Porto, Portugal.
Abstract
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides a noninvasive and integrated assessment of the response of the respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems to exercise. This information improves the diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapeutic management of several clinical conditions. Additionally, CPET is the gold standard test for cardiorespiratory fitness quantification and exercise prescription, both in patients with cardiopulmonary disease undergoing cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation programs and in healthy individuals, such as high-level athletes. In this setting, the relevance of practical knowledge about this exam is useful and of interest to several medical specialties other than cardiology. However, despite its multiple established advantages, CPET remains underused. This article aims to increase awareness of the value of CPET in clinical practice and to inform clinicians about its main indications, applications, and basic interpretation.
Keywords:
Aplicações; Applications; Cardiopulmonary exercise testing; Cardiovascular; Consumo de oxigénio; Indications; Indicações; Interpretation; Interpretação; Oxygen consumption; Prova de esforço cardiorrespiratória.
Copyright © 2024 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.