Respiratory muscle strength can improve the prognostic assessment in COPD.

Impaired lung function, respiratory muscle weakness and exercise intolerance are present in COPD and contribute to poor prognosis. However, the contribution of the combination of these manifestations to define prognosis in COPD is still unknown. This study aimed to define cut-off points for both inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength (MIP and MEP, respectively) for mortality prediction over 42-months in patients with COPD, and to investigate its combination with other noninvasive established prognostic measures (FEV1, V̇O2peak and 6MWD) to improve risk identification. Patients with COPD performed pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, six-minute walk and cardiopulmonary exercise tests, and were followed over 42 months to analyze all-cause mortality. A total of 79 patients were included. The sample was mostly (91.1%) comprised of severe (n = 37) and very severe (n = 34) COPD, and 43 (54%) patients died during the follow-up period. Cut-points of ≤ 55 and ≤ 80 cmH2O for MIP and MEP, respectively, were associated with increased risk of death (log-rank p = 0.0001 for both MIP and MEP) in 42 months. Furthermore, MIP and MEP substantially improved the mortality risk assessment when combined with FEV1 (log-ranks p = 0.006 for MIP and p < 0.001 for MEP), V̇O2peak (log-rank: p < 0.001 for both MIP and MEP) and 6MWD (log-ranks: p = 0.005 for MIP; p = 0.015 for MEP). Thus, patients severely affected by COPD presenting MIP ≤ 55 and/or MEP ≤ 80 cmH2O are at increased risk of mortality. Furthermore, MIP and MEP substantially improve the mortality risk assessment when combined with FEV1, V̇O2peak and 6MWD in patients with COPD.

Responses to incremental exercise and the impact of the coexistence of HF and COPD on exercise capacity: a follow-up study.

Our aim was to evaluate: (1) the prevalence of coexistence of heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the studied patients; (2) the impact of HF + COPD on exercise performance and contrasting exercise responses in patients with only a diagnosis of HF or COPD; and (3) the relationship between clinical characteristics and measures of cardiorespiratory fitness; (4) verify the occurrence of cardiopulmonary events in the follow-up period of up to 24 months years. The current study included 124 patients (HF: 46, COPD: 53 and HF + COPD: 25) that performed advanced pulmonary function tests, echocardiography, analysis of body composition by bioimpedance and symptom-limited incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on a cycle ergometer. Key CPET variables were calculated for all patients as previously described. The [Formula: see text]E/[Formula: see text]CO2 slope was obtained through linear regression analysis. Additionally, the linear relationship between oxygen uptake and the log transformation of [Formula: see text]E (OUES) was calculated using the following equation: [Formula: see text]O2 = a log [Formula: see text]E + b, with the constant 'a' referring to the rate of increase of [Formula: see text]O2. Circulatory power (CP) was obtained through the product of peak [Formula: see text]O2 and peak systolic blood pressure and Ventilatory Power (VP) was calculated by dividing peak systolic blood pressure by the [Formula: see text]E/[Formula: see text]CO2 slope. After the CPET, all patients were contacted by telephone every 6 months (6, 12, 18, 24) and questioned about exacerbations, hospitalizations for cardiopulmonary causes and death. We found a 20% prevalence of HF + COPD overlap in the studied patients. The COPD and HF + COPD groups were older (HF: 60 ± 8, COPD: 65 ± 7, HF + COPD: 68 ± 7). In relation to cardiac function, as expected, patients with COPD presented preserved ejection fraction (HF: 40 ± 7, COPD: 70 ± 8, HF + COPD: 38 ± 8) while in the HF and HF + COPD demonstrated similar levels of systolic dysfunction. The COPD and HF + COPD patients showed evidence of an obstructive ventilatory disorder confirmed by the value of %FEV1 (HF: 84 ± 20, COPD: 54 ± 21, HF + COPD: 65 ± 25). Patients with HF + COPD demonstrated a lower work rate (WR), peak oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]O2), rate pressure product (RPP), CP and VP compared to those only diagnosed with HF and COPD. In addition, significant correlations were observed between lean mass and peak [Formula: see text]O2 (r: 0.56 p < 0.001), OUES (r: 0.42 p < 0.001), and O2 pulse (r: 0.58 p < 0.001), lung diffusing factor for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and WR (r: 0.51 p < 0.001), DLCO and VP (r: 0.40 p: 0.002), forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1) and peak [Formula: see text]O2 (r: 0.52; p < 0.001), and FEV1 and WR (r: 0.62; p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the occurrence of events and deaths contrasting both groups. The coexistence of HF + COPD induces greater impairment on exercise performance when compared to patients without overlapping diseases, however the overlap of the two diseases did not increase the probability of the occurrence of cardiopulmonary events and deaths when compared to groups with isolated diseases in the period studied. CPET provides important information to guide effective strategies for these patients with the goal of improving exercise performance and functional capacity. Moreover, given our findings related to pulmonary function, body composition and exercise responses, evidenced that the lean mass, FEV1 and DLCO influence important responses to exercise.

Eccentric Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Left and Right Cardiac Function in Chronic Heart Failure with or without Coexisting COPD: Impact on Exercise Performance.

AIM: Our aim was to assess: 1) the impact of the eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy (ELVH) on exercise performance in patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure (CHF) alone and in patients with co-existing CHF and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 2) the relationship between left and right cardiac function measurements obtained by doppler echocardiography, clinical characteristics and primary measures of cardiorespiratory fitness. METHODS: The current study included 46 patients (CHF:23 and CHF+COPD:23) that performed advanced pulmonary function tests, echocardiography and symptom-limited, incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on a cycle ergometer. RESULTS: Patients with CHF+COPD demonstrated a lower work rate, peak oxygen uptake (VO2), oxygen pulse, rate pressure product (RPP), circulatory power (CP) and ventilatory power (VP) compared to those only diagnosed with CHF. In addition, significant correlations were observed between VP and relative wall thickness (r: 0.45 p: 0.03),VE/VCO2 intercept and Mitral E/e' ratio (r: 0.70 p: 0.003) in the CHF group. Significant correlations were found between indexed left ventricle mass and RPP (r: -0.47; p: 0.02) and relative VO2 and right ventricle diameter (r: -0.62; p: 0.001) in the CHF+COPD group. CONCLUSION: Compared to a diagnosis of CHF alone, a combined diagnosis of CHF+COPD induced further impairments in cardiorespiratory fitness. Moreover, echocardiographic measures of cardiac function are related to cardiopulmonary exercise performance and therefore appear to be an important therapeutic target when attempting to improve exercise performance and functional capacity.

Short-term effects of maximal dynamic exercise on flow-mediated dilation in professional female soccer players.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial function assessment may provide important insights into the cardiovascular function and long-term effects of exercise training. Many studies have investigated the possible negative effects on cardiovascular function due to extreme athletic performance, leading to undesirable effects. The purposes of this study were to investigate the acute effects of maximal intensity exercise on endothelium-dependent vasodilation, and to understand the patterns of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) change following maximal exercise in elite female athletes with a high-volume training history. METHODS: Twenty-six elite female soccer players (mean age, 22±4 years; BMI, 21±2 kg/m2; VO2max, 41±4 mL/kg/min) were evaluated. Brachial artery FMD was determined using high-resolution ultrasound at rest, and after 15 and 60 min of maximal cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing on a treadmill. Flow velocity was measured at baseline and during reactive hyperemia at the same periods. RESULTS: Rest FMD was 12.4±5.5%. Peak diameter in response to reactive hyperemia was augmented after 15 min of CPX (3.5±0.4 vs. 3.6±0.4 mm, P<0.05), returning to resting values after 60 min. However, %FMD did not change among time periods. There were two characteristic patterns of FMD response following CPX. Compared to FMD at rest, half of the subjects responded with an increased FMD following maximum exercise (10.5±6.1 vs. 17.8±7.5%, P<0.05). The other subjects demonstrated a reduced FMD response following maximum exercise (14.2±4.3 vs. 10.9±3.2%, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that elite female soccer players presented robust brachial artery FMD at rest, with a heterogeneous FMD response to acute exercise with a 50% FMD improvement rate.

Publisher Correction: The Value of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Determining Severity in Patients with both Systolic Heart Failure and COPD.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The Value of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Determining Severity in Patients with both Systolic Heart Failure and COPD.

Our aim was to identify optimal cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) threshold values that distinguish disease severity progression in patients with co-existing systolic heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to evaluate the impact of the cut-off determined on the prognosis of hospitalizations. We evaluated 40 patients (30 men and 10 woman) with HF and COPD through pulmonary function testing, doppler echocardiography and maximal incremental CPET on a cycle ergometer. Several significant CPET threshold values were identified in detecting a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) < 1.6 L: 1) oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) < 1.3; and 2) circulatory power (CP) < 2383 mmHg.mlO2.kg-1. CPET significant threshold values in identifying a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 39% were: 1) OUES: < 1.3; 2) CP < 2116 mmHg.mlO2.kg-1.min-1 and minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production (V̇E/V̇CO2) slope>38. The 15 (38%) patients hospitalized during follow-up (8 ± 2 months). In the hospitalizations analysis, LVEF < 39% and FEV1 < 1.6, OUES < 1.3, CP < 2116 mmHg.mlO2.kg-1.min-1 and V̇E/V̇CO2 > 38 were a strong risk predictor for hospitalization (P ≤ 0.050). The CPET response effectively identified worsening disease severity in patients with a HF-COPD phenotype. LVEF, FEV1, CP, OUES, and the V̇E/V̇CO2 slope may be particularly useful in the clinical assessment and strong risk predictor for hospitalization.

Exercise Training Does Improve Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients.

Although exercise is recognized as an important component of the management for patients following bariatric surgery (BS), its effectiveness on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is still unclear. To investigate this relationship between BS and CRF, a systematic review was conducted in the MEDLINE database. The literature search included studies involving exercise training in patients following BS. A total of 306 studies were identified, 7 met the criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Exercise training was found to result in a moderate and significant increase in VO2max (SMD = 0.430, 95% CI 0.157; 0.704, p = 0.002) following BS. The results from this meta-analysis indicate that exercise training can significantly improve CRF. Further research is needed to determine the ideal training duration and exercise training parameters for patients following BS.

Metabolic syndrome impact on cardiac autonomic modulation and exercise capacity in obese adults.

Obesity is often associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic morbidities and mortality. However, evidence shows that some obese individuals are more likely to develop such risk factors early in life, including those with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Whether the presence of MetS in obese people impairs cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) remains to be investigated. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Sixty-six subjects were classified as normal-weight (NW, n = 24) or obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg·m-2): metabolically healthy (MHO, n = 19) vs unhealthy (MUHO, n = 23: NCEP/ATPIII-MetS criteria). Body composition (bioimpedance), metabolic (glucose-insulin/lipid) and inflammatory profiles were determined. Linear and nonlinear heart rate variability (HRV) indices were computed at rest and during the submaximal six-minute step test (6MST). Blood pressure (BP) and metabolic and ventilatory variables were assessed (oxygen uptake, VO2; carbon dioxide production, VCO2; minute ventilation, VE) during the 6MST and the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX). RESULTS: All groups reached the same 6MST intensity (VO2 ~ 80% and HR ~ 87% of CPX peak values). Both obese groups, independently of MetS, presented higher BP and lower maximal VO2 than NW. However, HRV differed between groups according to MetS at rest and during exercise: MUHO had lower meanRRi and SD1 than NW and lower RMSSD and pNN50 than MHO at rest; during exercise, the lowest SDNN, TINN, SD1 and Shannon entropy were observed for MUHO. Significant correlations were found between MetS, insulin resistance and HRV indices; and between insulin resistance and aerobic capacity (VO2peak). CONCLUSION: Obesity per se impairs aerobic-hemodynamic responses to exercise. However, MetS in obese young adults negatively impacts overall HRV, parasympathetic activity and HRV complexity.

Noninvasive Ventilation as an Important Adjunct to an Exercise Training Program in Subjects With Moderate to Severe COPD.

BACKGROUND: The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether noninvasive ventilation (NIV) can positively affect exercise capacity, maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2 ), and symptoms after a 6-week physical training program for subjects with moderate to very severe COPD. METHODS: 47 subjects with COPD who were enrolled in a physical training program were randomized to either physical training alone or NIV + physical training (NIV-Physical training). Physical training consisted of dynamic aerobic exercises on a treadmill 3 times/week for 6 weeks, for a total of 18 sessions. NIV was titrated according to the subject's tolerance at rest and during exercise. Assessments included physiological responses and symptoms at the incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test peak and during submaximal exercise on a treadmill, 6-min walk distance, maximum inspiratory (PImax) and expiratory pressure (PEmax), BODE index, and health-related quality of life. RESULTS: 43 subjects completed the 6-week physical training program. Both groups improved 6-min walk distance, PImax, BODE index, and quality of life, and no differences were found between groups. However, significant improvements were observed for subjects in the NIV-Physical training group with regard to PEmax, maximum V̇O2 , maximum metabolic equivalents, circulatory power, and maximum SpO2 . CONCLUSIONS: A 6-week physical training program alone can improve tolerance for exercise and quality of life, in addition to reducing the risk of mortality. However, NIV associated with a physical training program was shown to have an additive beneficial effect on powerful prognostic markers (maximum V̇O2 and circulatory power) and to reduce symptoms and improve oxygen saturation in subjects with moderate to very severe COPD.

Shuttle walking test in obese women: test-retest reliability and concurrent validity with peak oxygen uptake.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability, concurrent validity and agreement with peak oxygen uptake (VO2 ) obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) on a treadmill for the incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) in obese women. METHODS: Prospective study with a convenient sample of 46 community-dwelling obese women (BMI > 30 kg m(-2) ). The main outcome measures were walking distance on the ISWT and peak VO2 . RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was good to excellent for the exercise tests (ISWT distance ICC: 0.90; and CPX peak VO2 ICC: 0.90). Peak VO2 obtained during CPX correlated significantly with ISWT distance (r = 0.54, P<0.05) and peak VO2 obtained during the ISWT (r = 0.64, P<0.05). Bland and Altman plots demonstrated a high degree of repeatability. CONCLUSION: The ISWT had excellent reliability as well as good concurrent validity and agreement. The ISWT may be a potential tool for monitoring clinical status and intervention efficacy (e.g. programmes for weight loss and rehabilitative strategies) in this population.