Reliability of measurements with Innocor during exercise

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Cardiovascular Function
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cardiac output (CO) is vital for cardiovascular function, especially during exercise.
• Understanding CO regulation during physical activity is essential.
• The Innocor system, combining rebreathing and ergospirometry, is a new tool for CO assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the Innocor system.
• To assess the reliability of cardiac output, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide output, and ventilation measurements.
• To determine the validity of Innocor for exercise physiology and performance diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• 15 male and 15 female healthy participants underwent two test sessions.
• Each session included two graded exercise tests to volitional exhaustion.
• Intra- and inter-session reliability of CO, VO2, VCO2, and ventilation were measured at 130 W and peak exercise.

Main Results:

• Cardiac output showed coefficients of variation from 4.3% (intra-session, 130 W) to 10.0% (inter-session, rest).
• Oxygen consumption reliability ranged from 3.4% to 5.7%.
• Carbon dioxide output and ventilation also demonstrated good reliability, with coefficients of variation below 7.0%.

Conclusions:

• The Innocor system provides safe and reliable measurements of cardiac output, gas exchange, and ventilation during exercise.
• The findings support the use of Innocor in exercise physiology research.
• Innocor is a valuable tool for performance diagnostics in athletes and clinical populations.