Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test

The cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) is an essential examination for detecting pathophysiological derangement and determining treatment policy because it clarifies not only the changes of hemodynamics but also abnormality in the whole body during exercise where heart disease patients often feel symptoms.To utilize CPX effectively, we must understand each parameter, such as peak oxygen uptake (peak VO), peak VO/HR, and VE/VCO. In addition, comparison of each parameter, for example, peak VO and VE/VCO, and peak VO and peak VO/HR, is useful to detect the pathophysiological abnormalities.In this article, I will describe how CPX should be used in clinical settings.