Treadmill stress test in children and adolescents: higher tolerance on exertion with ramp protocol.
OBJECTIVE
Compare exercise tolerance by children and adolescents submitted to treadmill stress test (TST) following Bruce Protocol (BP) or Ramp Protocol (RP), as well as describe velocity and inclination reached with ramp protocol to help set protocol exercise standards.


METHODS
Observational, case-based study, with history control of 1,006 children and adolescents in the 4 to 17-year-old range who were submitted to TST between October, 1986 and February, 2003, and who concluded one of the two protocols. Those who interrupted their ET for other reasons rather than physical exhaustion, those on medication that interfered in HR and those with physical constraints to exercise were excluded. Statistical analysis of data considered p<0.05 as significance level; with confidence interval at 95%.


RESULTS
Exercise time close to 10 minutes in RP was significantly higher than in BP. HR max reached was higher than 180 bpm in both protocols. Inclination showed to be slightly higher in younger girls in Bruce Protocol. Velocity and VO2 max showed to be higher for all age ranges for those in the Ramp Protocol.


CONCLUSIONS
Velocity and inclination reached with ramp protocol may be used as reference to help set ramp protocol exercise, which showed superior on exertion tolerance as compared to Bruce protocol.
Barbosa e Silva
Odwaldo
O
Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UFPERio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. odwaldo@cardiol.br
Saraiva
Lurildo C Ribeiro
LC
Sobral Filho
Dário C
DC
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric