Cardiopulmonary Stress Test | MedStar Health

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Measuring how the heart and lungs respond to exercise.

Cardiopulmonary stress test which is also called cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) evaluates how the heart and lungs function during controlled exercise. The level of oxygen in the blood and how much air the lungs take in during the test are recorded. Physicians are then able to determine if the results are normal or abnormal and recommend follow-up treatment.

Physicians order this test to determine the reasons for shortness of breath and to determine your exercise capacity. If a patient already has heart or lung disease, this test can determine the severity of the disease, define the response to existing treatments, or determine if they are candidate for advanced treatments like heart transplantation.

CPET is an important tool for the treatment of heart failure.  The results are used to determine the severity or stage of the disease and the appropriate treatment options.

 

What to expect

Your physician will direct you on how to prepare for this test. You should wear comfortable, lightweight clothing as you will work up a sweat while exercising.

You will either be riding on a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill. You will be fitted with a facemask or mouthpiece so you can breathe into a device the gauges your breathing.  Electrode stickers will be attached to your chest, and you will be connected to an electrocardiogram (EKG) to monitor the heart’s electrical activity during the exam.

There are four phases to the CPET exam which are:

  • Resting phase-used to get the patient comfortable with the facemask or mouthpiece, to take baseline vital signs, and if arterial blood gas measurements are needed, an arterial catheter is inserted to collect blood samples.
  • Warmup phase-exercise without any resistance, so the additional baseline information is collected.
  • Incremental exercise phase-gradual resistance is added so your ability to exercise becomes more challenging.
  • Cool down phase-continue exercising with no resistance while the staff checks vital signs and measures heart rate recovery.

An advanced cardiopulmonary exercise test (A-CPET) may be ordered to diagnose fewer common causes of shortness of breath. These more rare cardiac medical conditions include exercise-induced heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, exercise- induced pulmonary artery hypertension, and pre-load failure.

 

Treatments

Angioplasty: Angioplasty improves blood flow through the arteries by clearing plaque buildup.

Heart Arrhythmia Treatments: Medical and surgical treatments to restore normal heart rhythm.

Congenital Heart Disease Treatments: Treatments for congenital heart conditions range from atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale closures to cardiac ablations and heart valve replacements to heart transplants.

Heart Failure Surgery: Surgical treatments for heart failure can include coronary bypass surgery, mechanical support devices and heart transplants.

Heart Transplants: A heart transplant replaces a diseased, failing heart with a healthier heart from a donor.

Valve Disease Treatments: Valve disease treatments include monitoring, medication, or surgery to repair or replace a damaged valve.

Ventricular Assist Device (VAD): A ventricular assist device (VAD), also known as a mechanical circulatory support device, helps the heart pump blood more effectively during end-stage heart failure.

 

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