scholarly journals 782 Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with COVID-19 at 3 months from hospital discharge

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_G) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Fumagalli ◽  
Maria Vittoria Silverii ◽  
Chiara Zocchi ◽  
Luigi Tassetti ◽  
Federico Lavorini ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims The long-term COVID-19 effects are currently unknown. Whether and for how long symptoms extend beyond the acute phase of the disease is unresolved. Aim of this study was to determine the functional capacity of COVID-19 survivors by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and describe its association with dyspnoea, the most frequent symptom after discharge from a tertiary care hospital. Methods and results All COVID-19 patients discharged from our tertiary care institution were enrolled in a prospective follow-up study which would assess clinical, instrumental and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 survivors at 3 months from hospital discharge (i.e. long-covid). To limit bias in dyspnoea quantification, patients hospitalized in residential care facilities with severe cognitive impairment/disability, ischaemic cardiopathy, and/or heart failure and severe respiratory disease (i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) were excluded. Clinical evaluation included: peripheral blood samples including inflammatory cytokines, pulmonary function testing (functional respiratory and 6 min-walking test), lung ultrasound, ECG recording, and a comprehensive echocardiographic exam. All patients with peripheral oxygen desaturation at 6 min-walking test (SpO2 < 92%), dyspnoea and with a history of hospitalization in critical care settings were referred for CPET. Dyspnoea was classified with the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale. From June 2020 to May 2021, 198 patients were enrolled; overall, 42% of patients presented with dyspnoea at 3 months from hospital discharge with no difference according to disease severity on hospital admission (P = 0.233). Clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic parameters were similar between patients with and without dyspnoea. At CPET, 61% of patients complaining dyspnoea showed a %peak VO2 lower than 85% of the predicted value, associated with a lower exercising tolerance and duration and with a globally reduced equivalent metabolic load (METS: 5.3 ± 1.2 vs. 6.6 ± 1.6, P = 0.003). Mean anaerobic threshold was lower for symptomatic patients (46 + 13 vs. 50 + 10, P = 0.03). At multivariable logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for age, number of comorbidities, and body mass index, only %peak VO2 (HR: 0.973; 95% CI: 0.948–0.998) and male gender (HR: 0.548; 95% CI: 0.328–0.999) were associated with dyspnoea. Conclusions At 3-months, almost 1-in-2 patients discharged for COVID-19 pneumonia presented with dyspnoea, irrespective of disease severity. Among patients undergoing CPET, only %peak VO2 and gender were associated with symptoms suggesting a potential systemic inflammatory-mediated response and important gender related differences for the long-covid.

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 364
Author(s):  
Keisuke Miki

In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exertional dyspnea, which increases with the disease’s progression, reduces exercise tolerance and limits physical activity, leading to a worsening prognosis. It is necessary to understand the diverse mechanisms of dyspnea and take appropriate measures to reduce exertional dyspnea, as COPD is a systemic disease with various comorbidities. A treatment focusing on the motor pathophysiology related to dyspnea may lead to improvements such as reducing dynamic lung hyperinflation, respiratory and metabolic acidosis, and eventually exertional dyspnea. However, without cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), it may be difficult to understand the pathophysiological conditions during exercise. CPET facilitates understanding of the gas exchange and transport associated with respiration-circulation and even crosstalk with muscles, which is sometimes challenging, and provides information on COPD treatment strategies. For respiratory medicine department staff, CPET can play a significant role when treating patients with diseases that cause exertional dyspnea. This article outlines the advantages of using CPET to evaluate exertional dyspnea in patients with COPD.


Respiration ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 369-377
Author(s):  
Michael Westhoff ◽  
Patric Litterst ◽  
Ralf Ewert

Background: Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a distinct entity among fibrosing lung diseases with a high risk for lung cancer and pulmonary hypertension (PH). Notably, concomitant PH was identified as a negative prognostic indicator that could help with early diagnosis to provide important information regarding prognosis. Objectives: The current study aimed to determine whether cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) can be helpful in differentiating patients having CPFE with and without PH. Methods: Patients diagnosed with CPFE in 2 German cities (Hemer and Greifswald) over a period of 10 years were included herein. CPET parameters, such as peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2), functional dead space ventilation (VDf/VT), alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO2), arterial-end-tidal CO2 difference [P(a-ET)CO2] at peak exercise, and the minute ventilation-carbon dioxide production relationship (VE/VCO2 slope), were compared between patients with and without PH. Results: A total of 41 patients with CPET (22 with PH, 19 without PH) were analyzed. Right heart catheterization was performed in 15 of 41 patients without clinically relevant complications. Significant differences in peak VO2 (861 ± 190 vs. 1,397 ± 439 mL), VO2/kg body weight/min (10.8 ± 2.6 vs. 17.4 ± 5.2 mL), peak AaDO2 (72.3 ± 7.3 vs. 46.3 ± 14.2 mm Hg), VE/VCO2 slope (70.1 ± 31.5 vs. 39.6 ± 9.6), and peak P(a-ET)tCO2 (13.9 ± 3.5 vs. 8.1 ± 3.6 mm Hg) were observed between patients with and without PH (p < 0.001). Patients with PH had significantly higher VDf/VT at rest, VT1, and at peak exercise (65.6 ± 16.8% vs. 47.2 ± 11.6%; p < 0.001) than those without PH. A cutoff value of 44 for VE/VCO2 slope had a sensitivity and specificity of 94.7 and 72.7%, while a cutoff value of 11 mm Hg for P(a-ET)CO2 in combination with peak AaDO2 >60 mm Hg had a specificity and sensitivity of 95.5 and 84.2%, respectively. Combining peak AaDO2 >60 mm Hg with peak VO2/body weight/min <16.5 mL/kg/min provided a sensitivity and specificity of 100 and 95.5%, respectively. Conclusion: This study provided initial data on CPET among patients having CPFE with and without PH. CPET can help noninvasively detect PH and identify patients at risk. AaDO2 at peak exercise, VE/VCO2 slope, peak P(a-ET)CO2, and peak VO2 were parameters that had high sensitivity and, when combined, high specificity.


Author(s):  
Uma Rani Adhikari ◽  
Soma Roy

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recently the most common chronic lung disease and presents a serious medical, economic, and social problem for people. A correlational survey research was adopted to identify relationship between quality of life and disease severity among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) clients attending Pulmonary Medicine OPD in a selected hospital, Kolkata with the objectives to assess the quality of life of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) clients and to find out correlation between disease severity and quality of life among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) clients. Purposive sampling technique was adapted to select 138 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) clients attending Pulmonary Medicine OPD in a tertiary care hospital, Kolkata. The structured interview schedule was used to collect on demographic data and standardized WHO QOL BREF tool was used to assess Quality of Life. Standardized GOLD criteria were used to assess disease severity of COPD clients. Reliability of the demographic data collection tool was established by inter- rater method and r was 0.77. All the tools were tried out before final data collection. The finding of the study revealed statistically non-significant relationship between all the domain of QOL and disease severity of COPD patients. Total Quality of Life score is also not significantly related with COPD Disease severity score. The study results also showed that QOL is not associated with sociodemographic characteristics. The study concluded that, there is no correlation between quality of life and disease severity.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (141) ◽  
pp. 333-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis E. O'Donnell ◽  
Amany F. Elbehairy ◽  
Azmy Faisal ◽  
Katherine A. Webb ◽  
J. Alberto Neder ◽  
...  

Activity-related dyspnoea is often the most distressing symptom experienced by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and can persist despite comprehensive medical management. It is now clear that dyspnoea during physical activity occurs across the spectrum of disease severity, even in those with mild airway obstruction. Our understanding of the nature and source of dyspnoea is incomplete, but current aetiological concepts emphasise the importance of increased central neural drive to breathe in the setting of a reduced ability of the respiratory system to appropriately respond. Since dyspnoea is provoked or aggravated by physical activity, its concurrent measurement during standardised laboratory exercise testing is clearly important. Combining measurement of perceptual and physiological responses during exercise can provide valuable insights into symptom severity and its pathophysiological underpinnings. This review summarises the abnormal physiological responses to exercise in COPD, as these form the basis for modern constructs of the neurobiology of exertional dyspnoea. The main objectives are: 1) to examine the role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in uncovering the physiological mechanisms of exertional dyspnoea in patients with mild-to-moderate COPD; 2) to examine the escalating negative sensory consequences of progressive respiratory impairment with disease advancement; and 3) to build a physiological rationale for individualised treatment optimisation based on CPET.


2002 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrel P. FRANCIS ◽  
L. Ceri DAVIES ◽  
Keith WILLSON ◽  
Roland WENSEL ◽  
Piotr PONIKOWSKI ◽  
...  

Metabolic exercise testing is valuable in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), but periodic breathing may confound the measurements. We aimed to examine the effects of periodic breathing on the measurement of oxygen uptake (VO2) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). First, we measured the effects of different averaging procedures on peak VO2 and RER values in 122 patients with CHF undergoing cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Secondly, we studied the effects of periodic breathing on VO2 and RER in healthy volunteers performing computer-guided periodic breathing. Thirdly, we used a Fourier analysis to study the effects of periodic breathing on gas exchange measurements. The first part of the study showed that 1min moving window gave a mean peak VO2 of 13.8mlμmin-1μkg-1 for the CHF patients. A 15s window gave significantly higher values. The difference averaged 1.0mlμmin-1μkg-1 (P<0.0001), but varied widely: 41% of subjects showed a difference greater than 1.0mlμmin-1μkg-1. RER values were also higher by an average of 0.09 (P<0.0001); in 20% of subjects the difference was greater than 0.10. In the second part of the study, we found artefactual elevations of peak VO2 (without averaging) of 2.9mlμmin-1μkg-1 (P<0.01) and of peak RER of 0.13 (P<0.001), which were still significant when 30s averaging was applied [Δ(peak VO2) = 1.8mlμmin-1μkg-1, P<0.01; ΔRER = 0.08, P<0.001]. The third, theoretical, part of the study showed that values of carbon dioxide output and VO2 oscillate with different phases and amplitudes, resulting in oscillations in their ratio, RER. Averaging over 15s or 30s can be expected to give only 10% or 36% attenuation respectively. Thus periodic breathing causes variable artefactual elevations of measured peak VO2 and RER, which can be attenuated by using longer averaging periods. Clinical reports and research publications describing peak VO2 in CHF should be accompanied by details of the averaging technique used.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 4083
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Smarz ◽  
Tomasz Jaxa-Chamiec ◽  
Beata Zaborska ◽  
Maciej Tysarowski ◽  
Andrzej Budaj

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is indicated in all patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to improve prognosis and exercise capacity (EC). Previous studies reported that up to a third of patients did not improve their EC after CR (non-responders). Our aim was to assess the cardiac and peripheral mechanisms of EC improvement after CR using combined exercise echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET-SE). The responders included patients with an improved EC assessed as a rise in peak oxygen uptake (VO2) ≥ 1 mL/kg/min. Peripheral oxygen extraction was calculated as arteriovenous oxygen difference (A-VO2Diff). Out of 41 patients (67% male, mean age 57.5 ± 10 years) after AMI with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 40%, 73% improved their EC. In responders, peak VO2 improved by 27% from 17.9 ± 5.2 mL/kg/min to 22.7 ± 5.1 mL/kg/min, p < 0.001, while non-responders had a non-significant 5% decrease in peak VO2. In the responder group, the peak exercise heart rate, early diastolic myocardial velocity at peak exercise, LVEF at rest and at peak exercise, and A-VO2Diff at peak exercise increased, the minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope decreased, but the stroke volume and cardiac index were unchanged after CR. Non-responders had no changes in assessed parameters. EC improvement after CR of patients with preserved LVEF after AMI is associated with an increased heart rate response and better peripheral oxygen extraction during exercise.


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