Arm ergometry exercise testing in patients with dysvascular amputations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the agreement between the heart rate (HR) response and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) on an arm ergometry graded exercise test (GXT) in deconditioned persons with acute dysvascular amputations before and after an inpatient rehabilitation program. Twenty-six men were studied at admission, and 11 were retested after completion of the program. After obtaining resting measurements of HR and systolic and diastolic blood pressures, each patient performed the GXT using an arm ergometer. Patients maintained a cranking rate of 50rpm, which was monitored electronically. The workloads started with a warm-up period of 0 watts (stage 1) and increased by increments of 5 watts. Each stage lasted three minutes-2.5 minutes of exercise and 30 seconds of rest. The RPE was taken five seconds before the end of each exercise stage. During the rest period, HR and blood pressures were recorded. Scatter plots and linear regression analyses revealed no statistically significant relationship, either at early stages of GXT or at peak work, between HR and RPE. The results suggest that RPE cannot be used reliably as a surrogate for direct pulse measurement in exercise training of persons with acute dysvascular amputations.