S25 Cardiopulmonary exercise testing to evaluate exercise limitation and shortness of breath in long COVID

Abstract

S25 Table 1Preliminary CPET data for patients with persistent symptoms following non-hospitalised SARS-CoV2 infection, demonstrating reduced levels of aerobic fitness compared to% predicted, as assessed by oxygen uptake at peak exercise, oxygen uptake at anaerobic threshold (AT) and O2 pulse.Patient number Peak oxygen uptake as% predicted Peak AT as% of peak oxygen uptake O2 pulse as% predicted VEVCO2 slope Breathing reserve (litres/minute) 1 110 69 101 26.9 59 2 70 31 76 22.6 138 3 91 45 80 31.4 36 4 108 63 93 28.1 84 5 81 46 78 27.7 31 6 81 44 82 26.4 71 7 111 47 106 25.4 69 8 61 33 70 27.5 96 9 64 43 78 29.6 40 ConclusionsCPET provided an objective measure of functional limitation in our preliminary patient cohort, profound deconditioning was apparent. Given that our patient has normal cardiac function, it is possible that the reduction in O2 pulse reflects an intrinsic impairment in muscle oxygen utilisation. We have demonstrated similar patterns of exercise limitation in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and subsequent improvements in their exercise training capacity following a 12 week personalised exercise training program.1 Exercise intervention studies are needed in these patients to determine optimal rehabilitation strategies.ReferenceWest, et al. Br J Anaesth. 2015;114(2):244–5.