Cardiopulmonary exercise testing versus pulmonary function test in the assessment of respiratory impairment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Introduction: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a non-invasive method for the determination of disability and comprehensive evaluation of exercise responses involving the cardiovascular, pulmonary and musculoskeletal systems.

Material And Methods: To assess exercise performance measured by CPET in different chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stages and to compare between pulmonary function test (PFT) and CPET in assessing the degree of respiratory impairment. Sixty patients diagnosed with COPD were enrolled in the study.