PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Maroula Vasilopoulou AU - Ioannis Vogiatzis AU - Ioannis Nasis AU - Stavroula Spetsioti AU - Evgenia Cherouveim AU - George Kaltsakas AU - Eleni Kortianou AU - Maria Koskolou AU - Antonia Koutsoukou AU - Manos Alchanatis AU - Nikolaos G. Koulouris TI - Effect of COPD severity on hemodynamic responses to exercise in patients with GOLD stages I-IV DP - 2011 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - p1222 VI - 38 IP - Suppl 55 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1222.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1222.full SO - Eur Respir J2011 Sep 01; 38 AB - Introduction: Exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation and large intrathoracic pressure swings can compromise the normal increase in cardiac output (Q) during exercise in COPD. Therefore, it is anticipated that the greater the disease severity, the greater would be the impairment in Q during exercise.Aim: Thus, the aim of the study was to investigate whether the Q response is more severely impaired in the more advanced stages of COPD.Method: We studied sixty COPD patients (15 patients at each stage, I to IV). Patients undertook a constant load test (75% WRpeak) and a six minute walking test (6MWT). Q at rest and during exercise protocols measured by bioimpedance (PhysioFlow, Enduro) to determine the kinetic response at the onset of exercise (On-transient) and during recovery (Off-transient).Results: While Q kinetics (On & Off) was not different between the two exercise protocols, on-transient and off-transient time constants were slower the more severe the disease severity was (Table 1).View this table:Table 1. Q Kinetics (On & Off)Conclusion: The more advanced the disease severity the more impaired was the hemodynamic response to the 6MWT and the constant load test, possibly reflecting greater cardiovascular impairment in COPD or greater physical deconditioning. The 6MWT reflects, equally well as the constant load test, the degree of impairment in the hemodynamic response to exercise.