Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in adults with congenital heart disease

Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at high risk for morbidity and mortality. Identifying those who are at highest risk of complications can be challenging, in part because self-reported functional status is not a reliable indicator of physiological status. Individuals with CHD may present with exercise limitation due to a variety of cardiac and non-cardiac causes. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides an integrated assessment of cardiac, pulmonary, and metabolic function and can identify the source of exercise limitation in many patients. Because CPET parameters have also been associated with outcome in adults with CHD, CPET has recently emerged as an important prognostic indicator in this population.