Acute Cardiopulmonary and Muscle Oxygenation Responses to Normocapnic Hyperpnea Exercise in COPD.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate cardiorespiratory responses and intercostal muscle oxygenation during normocapnic hyperpnea exercise in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: Twenty-two patients with COPD performed a cardiopulmonary cycling exercise test to assess peak oxygen consumption (V˙O2peak) and minute ventilation (V˙Epeak). They also performed a normocapnic hyperpnea exercise alone, at 50%-60% of V˙Epeak to exhaustion, using a respiratory device (Spirotiger) connected to a gas analyzer to monitor V˙O2, V˙E, and end-tidal CO2 partial pressure.

The Physiological Burden of the 6-Minute Walk Test Compared With Cardiopulmonary Exercise Stress Test in Patients With Severe Aortic Atenosis.

Background: Management of aortic stenosis (AS) relies on symptoms. Exercise testing is recommended for asymptomatic patients with significant AS but is often experienced as forbidding and/or technically unrealistic for patients who are often frail, deconditioned, and intimidated by the exercise test. We compared the physiological burden assessed with gas exchange assessments to gauge and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) of a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) to a cardiopulmonary exercise stress test (CPET) in patients with severe AS.

Determinants of Cardiorespiratory Fitness After Bariatric Surgery: Insights From a Randomised Controlled Trial of a Supervised Training Program.

Background: Severely obese patients have decreased cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and poor functional capacity. Bariatric surgery-induced weight loss improves CRF, but the determinants of this improvement are not well known. We aimed to assess the determinants of CRF before and after bariatric surgery and the impact of an exercise training program on CRF after bariatric surgery.

Relieving exertional dyspnea during the 3-min constant speed shuttle test in patients with COPD with indacaterol/glycopyrronium tiotropium: the RED trial.

Background: Exertional dyspnea is a cardinal feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a major cause of activity limitation. Although dual bronchodilation is more effective than bronchodilator monotherapy at improving resting pulmonary function, it is unclear to which extent this translates into superior relief of exertional dyspnea.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial comparing indacaterol 110 µg/glycopyrronium 50 µg once daily (OD) with tiotropium 50 µg OD in patients with moderate to severe COPD and resting hyperinflation (functional residual capacity >120% of predicted value).

Validation and Cardiorespiratory Response of the 1-Min Sit-to-Stand Test in Interstitial Lung Disease.

Purpose: To assess the 1-min sit-to-stand test (1STS) test-retest reliability and construct validity and its associated cardiorespiratory response in comparison to the 6-min walk test (6MWT) and symptom-limited cycling cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in people with interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Methods: Fifteen participants with ILD performed two 1STS tests, a 6MWT and a CPET. The three tests were administered on three separate visits, and cardiorespiratory parameters were continuously recorded during the tests.

An unusual cause of exertional dyspnea in a 55 years old man.

A 55-year-old former professional athlete reported out of proportion dyspnea on exertion. After a detailed cardiac investigation, a cardiopulmonary exercise test on an ergocycle demonstrated an abnormal and non-physiological ventilatory response characterized by a sharp rise in ventilation followed by a decrease while exercise workload was progressively increasing. This was accompanied by noisy breathing.

Dual bronchodilation with tiotropium/olodaterol further reduces activity-related breathlessness tiotropium alone in COPD.

The 3-min constant speed shuttle test (CSST) was used to examine the effect of tiotropium/olodaterol compared with tiotropium at reducing activity-related breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).This was a randomised, double-blind, two-period crossover study including COPD patients with moderate to severe pulmonary impairment, lung hyperinflation at rest and a Mahler Baseline Dyspnoea Index <8. Patients received 6 weeks of tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 µg and tiotropium 5 µg in a randomised order with a 3-week washout period.

Uncoupling between cerebral perfusion and oxygenation during incremental exercise in an athlete with postconcussion syndrome: a case report.

High-intensity exercise may pose a risk to patients with postconcussion syndrome (PCS) when symptomatic during exertion. The case of a paralympic athlete with PCS who experienced a succession of convulsion-awakening periods and reported a marked increase in postconcussion symptoms after undergoing a graded symptom-limited aerobic exercise protocol is presented. Potential mechanisms of cerebrovascular function failure are then discussed.

Prognostic Value of Oxygen Kinetics During Recovery From Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

Background: Peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2peak) is a well-established prognostic marker in chronic heart failure (CHF). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides physiological parameters other than V˙O2peak that might have prognostic value. We aimed at determining whether exercise recovery data kinetics have prognostic implications over V˙O2peak and Heart Failure Survival Score.

Prospective validation of the endurance shuttle walking test in the context of bronchodilation in COPD.

This study focused on repeatability data and minimal important difference (MID) estimates of the endurance shuttle walking test (ESWT). 255 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients (forced expiratory volume in 1 s 54.7±13.

Impact of bariatric surgery--induced weight loss on heart rate variability.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of sudden death that may be due to abnormal cardiac vagal modulation reflected by reduced heart rate variability (HRV). Few studies have been conducted analyzing the effect of bariatric surgery-induced weight loss on HRV assessed by 24-hour Holter monitoring. The aim of this study was to assess weight loss effect after bariatric surgery on HRV and ventricular size and function.

Use of facemask and mouthpiece to assess constant-workrate exercise capacity in COPD.

Purpose: To compare the response to constant-workrate cycling exercise between the mouthpiece and the facemask in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: Ten patients with COPD (FEV1: 48 +/- 14% pred, mean +/- SD) performed two symptom-limited constant-workrate cycling exercise tests at 80% of their predetermined peak exercise capacity. One test was performed using a mouthpiece and the other with a facemask, in a random order.

Impact of exercise training on muscle function and ergoreflex in Fontan patients: a pilot study.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated persistent reduced exercise capacity in Fontan patients even after surgical intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the skeletal muscle function of these patients is abnormal, if it correlates with exercise tolerance and if it can be improved by exercise training.

Methods: We evaluated the functional capacity of seven patients who underwent Fontan procedure (age:16+/-5 years, mean+/-SD) and seven healthy children (19+/-7 years) paired for age, sex, height and weight.