ABSTRACT
Exercise intolerance in patients with chronic ventilatory disorders has important implications for quality of life (Ferrer et al., 1997; Jones, 2001), morbidity (Kessler et al., 1999; Garcia-Aymerich et al., 2003) and mortality (Hiraga et al., 2003; Oga et al., 2003). Consequently, cardiopulmonary exercise testing is considered an essential component in the routine clinical assessment of these patients’ functional status. The primary aims of this chapter are to describe the indications for cardiopulmonary exercise testing and to provide recommendations concerning methodology (e.g. exercise modality, protocols and measurements). An in-depth discussion of data interpretation is beyond the scope of this chapter, but the interested reader is directed towards a recent joint statement on cardiopulmonary exercise testing by the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians (ATS/ACCP, 2003). The following sections describe the general categories of ventilatory dysfunction and the health and economic burden of respiratory disease.
