Aims: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a widely applied clinical procedure. There is uncertainty to what extent nutritional status, beta blockers and smoking should be taken into account in the interpretation of exercise parameters to describe abnormality. This study planned to consider the impact of these factors on CPET values and develop reference equations on the basis of a large-scale population-based survey.
Methods and results: An incremental cycle exercise protocol was applied to 1708 volunteers. Individuals with structural heart disease, echocardiographic or lung function pathologies were excluded. Age, height, weight, smoking, and beta blockers were analysed for their influencing power in each sex. Reference values of CPET parameters were determined by regression analyses. The final study sample consisted of 1203 volunteers (626 female), aged 25-85 years. Exercise capacity, gas exchange, and ventilatory efficiency for carbon dioxide removal were significantly dependent on sex, age, height, weight, and cigarette smoking. In the dosages used, beta blockers did not significantly interfere with gas exchange.
Conclusion: Sex, height, weight, and age significantly influence gas exchange. This study provides a comprehensive set of reference values in a large number of volunteers within a population-based survey, with reference values corrected for influencing factors.