Change in P wave height during progressive exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
We examined changes in P wave height in lead II of electrocardiogram during progressive exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and obtained the slope (delta P/delta VO2, %/ml/min) of the regression line calculated from the relationship between percent change of P wave height and oxygen consumption (VO2). Four COPD patients, who had a decrease over 5 mmHg in arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) at maximal exercise (group A), had significantly greater slope (0.45 +/- 0.14%/ml/min, mean +/- S.E.) than in five COPD patients (group B, 0.14 +/- 0.05), who did not have a decrease over 5 mmHg in PaO2 at maximal exercise. The increase in P wave height during exercise was inhibited by oxygen inhalation at the given VO2 in group A. These findings suggest that increase in P wave height during exercise in COPD patients may be correlated with hypoxemia during exercise.
Hida
W
W
First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai Japan.
Taguchi
O
O
Iwase
N
N
Sato
M
M
Chonan
T
T
Kikuchi
Y
Y
Ogata
M
M
Shirato
K
K
Takishima
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D005082:Physical Exertion