[Work capacity, residual capacity and work tolerance times. A proposed measuring method].
A simple method for assessing the physical working capacity [in terms of maximal work capacity, loss of work capacity in diseased people, long-term work capacity (or critical power), endurance time] is proposed. The method consists in performing two "6 minutes workload" of different but known power and in measuring the corresponding heart rates and O2 uptakes at steady state. The effort was a "step-test" at different height of the step and rate of ascent and descent from it. The O2 uptake was measured either directly or indirectly from a nomogram (starting from the step height and the frequency of the up and down). The measured and estimated values of O2- uptake were very well correlated and this might be an indication for the method to be used in not equipped factory ambulatory or directly in workplaces. The maximal capacity to perform an effort was calculated on the basis of the linear regression between heart rate and O2-uptake, calculating the O2 maximal values (VO2MAX) from the predicted maximal heart rate (FMAX); analogously, the critical power was obtained by calculating the O2 critical values (VO2CRIT) from the predicted critical heart rate (FCRIT); the loss of work capacity is the difference between two maximal powers, the theoretical and the measured one. The endurance time was measured on the basis of the hypothesis of a linear regression between level of an effort and logarithm of the time to perform it. Finally, a few procedures to assess the actual work capacity in subjects with pulmonary or blood diseases are discussed; in these subjects the O2 transfer might be limited by ventilation disorders or by low content of haemoglobin.
Pezzagno
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Dipartimento di Medicina Preventiva, Occupazionale e di Comunità, Università di Pavia.
Brunetti
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D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000502:physiology
La capacità lavorativa, la capacità residua e i tempi di tolleranza al lavoro. Proposta di un metodo di misura.