BACKGROUND Exercise capacity is a strong predictor of survival in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Exercise capacity improves after cardiac rehabilitation exercise training, but previous studies have demonstrated a decline in peak oxygen uptake after ending a formal rehabilitation program. There is a lack of knowledge on how long-term exercise adherence can be achieved in CAD patien...

Exercise capacity and survival of patients with IPF is potentially impaired by pulmonary hypertension. This study aims to investigate diagnostic and prognostic properties of gas exchange during exercise and lung function in IPF patients with or without pulmonary hypertension. In a multicentre setting, patients with IPF underwent right heart catheterization, cardiopulmonary exercise and lung fun...

BACKGROUND Endothelial dysfunction present in patients with peripheral artery disease may be better understood by measuring the temporal dynamics of blood flow and oxygen saturation during reactive hyperemia than by conventional static measurements. METHODS AND RESULTS Perfusion, Intravascular Venous Oxygen saturation, and T2* (PIVOT), a recently developed MRI technique, was used to measure t...

STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the importance of early left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling on maintenance of exercise performance, we examined peak filling rate and its relation to exercise capacity during upright bicycle exercise in patients with recent myocardial infarction. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of data of cardiopulmonary exercise testing characteristics in patients with recen...

Chronic exposure to tobacco smoking may damage lung and heart function. The aim of this study was to assess maximal exercise capacity and its relationship with lung function in apparently healthy smokers. We recruited 15 heavy smokers (age 47 years ± 7, BMI 25 kg/m(2) ± 3, pack/years 32 ± 9) without any cardiovascular or pulmonary signs and symptoms. Fifteen healthy non smoking subjects were en...

This study examined the effects of progressive exercise to fatigue in normoxia (N) on muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) cycling and whether alterations in SR Ca(2+) cycling are related to the blunted peak mechanical power output (PO(peak)) and peak oxygen consumption (Vo(2 peak)) observed during progressive exercise in hypoxia (H). Nine untrained men (20.7 +/- 0.42 yr) performed progres...

Individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) experience a number of somatic complaints including severe, disabling fatigue, and exercise intolerance. We hypothesized that hypovolemia, through its interaction with central hemodynamics, would contribute to the exercise intolerance associated with this disorder. We examined blood volume, peak aerobic power, habitual physical activity, fatigue l...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanisms for improved exercise capacity after endurance exercise training (ET) in elderly patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). BACKGROUND Exercise intolerance, measured objectively by reduced peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)), is the primary chronic symptom in HFPEF and is improved by ET. However, the mec...