Article

When the subject is not able to satisfy traditional testing
procedures, alternative exercises or indices such as arm cranking or the oxygen
uptake efficiency slope (OUES) have been proposed. However, the OUES has not yet
been used on elderly subjects from an exercise performed with the arms.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to evaluate the possibility of using the OUES
as an index of the cardiorespiratory functional reserve in the elderly when the
exercise evaluation test is performed with the arms and when this parameter is
estimated from submaximal responses. METHODS: Seventeen adults (62-82 years)
undergoing total joint arthroplasty of the hip took part in this study. Maximal
incremental exercise tests were performed on an arm crank ergometer 1 month
before (T) and 2 months after (T) surgery. Gas exchanges were measured
continuously to determine oxygen consumption at peak exercise (V O peak) and were
used to calculate the OUES. The correlation coefficient was calculated between V
O peak and OUES, and their relative changes between T and T. RESULTS: V O peak
was not significantly different between T and T: 10.3 +/- 0.7 and 9.8 +/- 0.5
mL/min per kilogramme respectively. The OUES estimated from submaximal responses
did not show a significant difference between T and T. Significant correlations
were observed between individual V O peak and OUES, as well as at T and T.
CONCLUSION: The use of arm cranking exercises and the calculation of the OUES
from the submaximal respiratory response can be used for the objective
quantification of cardiorespiratory functional reserve in the elderly.
CI - Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Langue : ANGLAIS ; FRANCAIS