The individual relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake in people with a tetraplegia during exercise.
METHODS
Descriptive study.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the individual heart rate-oxygen uptake (HR-VO(2)) relationship during exercise in persons with tetraplegia (TP).


METHODS
Rehabilitation Centre Heliomare, Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands.


METHODS
The HR-VO(2) relationship was determined in untrained subjects with motor complete TP (C5 or C6, n=10 and C7 or C8, n=10) during a discontinuous graded exercise hand cycle test. The mean HR and VO(2) of the final 60 s of 2-min exercise blocks were used for calculation of the individual correlation coefficient and the standard error of the estimate (SEE).


RESULTS
Two subjects of the C5-C6 group were not able to complete the test. Individual Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) ranged from 0.68 to 0.97 and SEE from 2.6 to 22.4% VO(2)-Reserve (VO(2)R). The mean Pearson's r and SEE were 0.81+/-0.12 and 10.6+/-5.6% VO(2)R in the C5-C6 group and 0.91+/-0.07 and 7.0+/-3.2% VO(2)R in the C7-C8 group, respectively. Two subjects of the C5-C6 group and six subjects of the C7-C8 group attained a linear HR-VO(2) relationship with an acceptable SEE (< or =6.0%) and r (>0.90).


CONCLUSIONS
The HR-VO(2) relationship appeared linear in only eight out of 18 subjects. An individual analysis of the HR-VO(2) relationship is necessary to determine whether HR can be used to quantify exercise intensity. The use of HR to prescribe training intensity should be reconsidered in persons with TP.


BACKGROUND
This study is supported from a grant by ZON-MW.
Valent
L J M
LJ
Heliomare Rehabilitation Centre, Relweg 51, 1949 EC Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands.
Dallmeijer
A J
AJ
Houdijk
H
H
Slootman
J
J
Janssen
T W J
TW
Hollander
A P
AP
van der Woude
L H V
LH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation