Quantifying Improvement in V˙o2peak and Exercise Thresholds in Cardiovascular Disease Using Reliable Change Indices.

Abstract

Improving aerobic fitness through exercise training is recommended for the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, strong justifications for the criteria of assessing improvement in key parameters of aerobic function including estimated lactate threshold (θLT), respiratory compensation point (RCP), and peak oxygen uptake (V˙o2peak) at the individual level are not established. We applied reliable change index (RCI) statistics to determine minimal meaningful change (MMCRCI) cutoffs of θLT, RCP, and V˙o2peak for individual patients with CVD.