Healthcare Professionals

Physicians are often required to evaluate patients for extensive surgical procedures in order to predict the possibility of surgical complications or difficulty with recovery.  These predictions are very important in selecting the proper surgical candidates. 
Evaluations include tests that determine current static cardiac or pulmonary conditions. Typically, this is accomplished by cardiac stress test or pulmonary function testing.

None of these tests however can predict the functional status of the patient after the procedure has been completed.  This is an important issue when a patient is considered for removal of portions of the lung for tumor removal or an individual is considered for heart transplant, for example.  The CPET is the only test that can accurately determine functionality of the patient and inferences can be made on future functionality after the procedure.

The CPET is also a very valuable tool when the etiology of shortness of breath is unclear, particularly when the shortness of breath is on exertion.  In these cases, both cardiac and pulmonary function testing may be normal. The CPET collects data on all levels of exertion including the maximum level achieved.  This makes it possible to accurately identify the limiting factor.

Patient data is analyzed using the Wasserman-Whipp method.  This method includes nine panels that shows the progression of heart rate, minute volume, oxygen pulse (Os consumption per heart beat), relationship between stroke volume and cardiac output, breathing reserve, O2 consumption and its relationship with CO2 production, anaerobic threshold , respiratory exchange ratio and more.

Medical conditions that can be assessed and their relationship to exercise include: COPD, Cardiomyopathy, Angina pectoris, Pulmonary Hypertension, Intersticial Lung Disease, Obesity, restrictive lung disease, connective tissue diseases, myopathies, neuromuscular diseases, and psychogenic dyspnea (in some instances, it may be the only way to make these presumptive diagnoses as cause of dyspnea on exertion).