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Exercise Testing

By

Rebecca Dezube

, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins University

Reviewed/Revised Nov 2023
VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION

Doctors may use exercise testing to evaluate people with a possible lung disorder. These tests are different from exercise stress tests Stress Testing Stress testing measures the heart's function with electrocardiography (ECG) while the heart is under stress, either from exercise or from a medication used to stress the heart. Stressing the... read more Stress Testing done to diagnose heart disorders. The two most common forms of exercise testing are the

  • Six-minute walk test

  • Full cardiopulmonary exercise testing

Six-minute walk test

This simple test measures the maximal distance that people can walk at their own pace in 6 minutes on a flat surface. The test assesses the person's overall function but, if the person's exercise capacity is reduced, does not tell which of the individual organs and systems (that is, the heart, lungs, muscles and bones, or other organs and systems) is the limiting factor. The test results can be affected by the person's effort.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing

This computerized test analyzes heart and lung function and provides information, such as how much air flows through the lungs, how much carbon dioxide is being produced, and how well the lungs are getting oxygen into the blood and removing carbon dioxide from it. The test is done while the person is at rest and while exercising on a treadmill or bicycle ergometer; the person wears several different types of monitors. The intensity of the exercise is increased gradually until symptoms prevent further exercise.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing primarily determines whether a person's capacity to exercise is normal or reduced and if it is reduced, whether the reduction is because of heart and/or lung problems or deconditioning. The test detects problems at an earlier stage than would tests that are less comprehensive or done only at rest.

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION
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