Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

Abstract

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is a useful tool to measure exercise capacity and diagnose the primary cause of exercise limitation when initial diagnostic evaluation is either unrevealing or identifies multiple potential contributing etiologies. It is also used to risk stratify patients for thoracic surgery, develop exercise prescriptions in structured rehabilitation programs, and provide prognostic information in certain disease states that can inform subsequent management. This article provides a systematic approach to the use, performance, and interpretation of exercise testing in clinical practice anchored in the fundamentals of exercise physiology. It also reviews current challenges and future research opportunities in this field.

Keywords: Adult; Cardiopulmonary exercise test; Exercise physiology; Exercise test; Humans; Pulmonary function laboratory.