title: Functional evaluation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: pulmonary function test versus cardiopulmonary exercise test.
abstract: The pulmonary function test (PFT) alone may be inadequate for predicting work-related exercise capacity in patients who file workers' compensation claims for respiratory limitation and compensation. Two hundred sixteen ambulatory patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 second = 54.1 +/- 16.8% predicted) were administered the PFT and cardiopulmonary exercise test, and the results were analyzed by categorical statistical comparison, based on standard medical impairment classifications. Sixty-five patients (30.1%) were similarly classified by the two methods. Of the remaining patients, 132 (61.1%) were found to be less impaired according to the cardiopulmonary exercise test than according to the PFT, and 19 (8.8%) were more impaired according to the PFT. The results favor the use of the cardiopulmonary exercise test for the routine evaluation of respiratory impairment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, particularly for patients with mild or moderate impairment revealed by the PFT. The large discrepancy between the two procedures emphasizes the need for a novel approach.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonology Institute and Exercise Physiology Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
authors.forename: Gershon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moshe
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goshen
authors.forename: Eliezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Klainman
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lebzelter
authors.forename: Shimon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spitzer
authors.forename: Mordechai R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kramer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests