Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing with VO2 Appears Safe

In a group of patients with a range of high-risk cardiac diagnoses, the rate of adverse events was low.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) with measurement of peak oxygen uptake (VO₂) is increasingly used to determine functional status of patients with cardiopulmonary disease. However, little is known regarding the safety of this test in the wide range of cardiovascular conditions beyond coronary artery disease (CAD) and congestive heart failure (CHF). Therefore, in this retrospective analysis from the Mayo Clinic, researchers assessed the safety of CPX in a group of patients with high-risk cardiac diagnoses.

A total of 5060 CPX studies were performed in 4250 unique patients (35% women; 14% aged ≥75). Patients had a variety of diagnoses, including CAD (35%), CHF (26%), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (12%), and aortic stenosis (4%); the majori…

Reviewing Author

JoAnne M. Foody, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardAegerion; Amarin; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Janssen; Merck; Pfizer; Sanofi-Aventis; Boehringer Ingelheim

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Cardiology, Cardiosmart (Co-chair)

JoAnne M. Foody, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardAegerion; Amarin; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Janssen; Merck; Pfizer; Sanofi-Aventis; Boehringer Ingelheim

Leadership positions in professional societiesAmerican College of Cardiology, Cardiosmart (Co-chair)