Exercise testing with gas exchange analysis.

Abstract

The value of ventilatory gas exchange techniques during exercise testing, including improved precision and a greater yield of clinically useful information, is underscored by a growing body of literature. With technological advances available in the current metabolic systems, the test can be performed with minimal inconvenience to the patient and a minimal time commitment on the part of the operator. Gas exchange techniques have many applications among patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, including the assessment of therapeutic interventions, a better understanding of the pathophysiology of exercise intolerance, and evaluation of disability. Recent studies suggest that the added precision provided by this technology has important prognostic utility. A cardiopulmonary exercise test can supplement other clinical and exercise test information when precision is important, when the patient's symptoms are mixed, or when it is unclear why the patient was referred for testing.