TY - JOUR T1 - Impact of exercise protocol intensity on the oxygen uptake efficiency slope JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P2109 AU - Blagoi Marinov AU - Stoilka Mandadzhieva AU - Peter Dimov AU - Stefan Kostianev Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2109.abstract N2 - Background:Oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) was proposed by Baba et al. (JAAC, 1996, 28; 1567-72) and presumed not to require maximal effort. It is not clear though whether exercise intensity influences oxygen uptake efficiency.The aim of this study is to investigate whether exercise protocol intensity affects the oxygen uptake efficiency.Material and methods: Sixty healthy children aged 13.3±0.8 (mean±SD) were included in the study. They were equally distributed into three groups performing protocols with different intensity – Bruce, Balke and modified Balke (Marinov et al. Acta Physiol Pharmacol Bulg. 2003;27:47-51). The three groups were comparable regarding age, height, weight.Results: In the whole group OUES showed strong correlation with VO2 peak (r=0.776); anaerobic threshold (r=0.789) and moderate correlation with the anthropometric parameters (height – r=0.581; weight – r=0.633) p<0.001 for all. The applied protocols had different intensity: Bruce= 2.4±0.3, Balke = 0.7±0.3, mod. Balke = 2.5±0.4 [mL.min-1.kg-1]; p<0.05. OUES for the whole exercise duration had the following values: 2782±462 vs 2431±544 vs 2581±594 [mL.min-1.logL-1] for the three protocols, respectively, which did not differ significantly (p=0.122). Rating of perceived exertion reproduces objectively measured exercise intensity (5.6±1.4 vs 4.5±1.7 vs 5.5±1.1; p<0.05, ANOVA Bonferroni post hoc).Conclusion: OUES can reliably evaluate functional capacity in children, independent of exercise intensity. ER -