Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in advanced heart failure

SANTIAGO MIRIUKA; HEATHER ROSS

ISHLT Monography Series: Advanced Heart Failure

Elsevier

Lugar: Ney York; Año: 2009; p. 201 - 212

The evaluation of patients with advanced heart failure begins with a careful evaluation of their symptoms. Patients usually are clear in indicating the degree of deterioration in their exercise capacity and daily life activities. Objective measurement through cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) allows detailed characterization of several factors involved in the performance of those daily activities, however. The multiple variables assessed during CPET give an accurate description of the current heart failure status of the patient and his or her prognosis. CPET can reliably help with management and decision making in patients with advanced heart failure. In this article, the authors review the recent advances in CPET and describe the current active areas of research in the field.