[Spiroergometry in the assessment of exercise capacity and associated restrictive factors]

Compared with the conventional clinical exercise test, spiroergometry can provide a more accurate means of finding out the causes of restricted exercise capacity. Result profiles of spiroergometric parameters yield information about the pathophysiologic mechanisms of various disease conditions. The investigation is most commonly carried out to find out whether the fatigue or dyspnea restricting the exercise capacity is due to functional disturbances of the heart or the lungs, or perhaps to myogenic causes. Parameters measuring gas exchange and pulmonary ventilation yield a picture of the mechanics of breathing and its disturbances, and indirectly reveal the onset of blood lactate accumulation during exercise.