Exercise-induced desaturation and electrocardiogram changes in people with severe lung disease: an exploratory investigation of 25 serial cases.

Background: Arterial desaturation is a commonly accepted clinical basis for discontinuing physical activity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the electrocardiograms of people with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease recovering from exercise-induced arterial desaturation.

Subjects: Subjects (n = 25) walked for 6 minutes while oxygen saturation was monitored.