Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in a patient with a permanent tracheostomy

The benefits of cardiopulmonary exercise testing have been well established. Certain patient groups present challenges for conducting such a test. We were presented with a patient with a permanent tracheostomy at the preoperative assessment clinic. We describe our technique in overcoming the problem of connecting him to the testing machine, as this is normally done with the aid of a tight-fitting face mask. We used a cuffed tracheostomy tube together with some widely available tubing from theaters to connect the patient to the gas analyzer. The test was only stopped because of excessive secretions from the patient, and we had already established enough data to tell us that the patient was fit enough to proceed to surgery. As more patients present with tracheostomies, we feel that this case would be a useful reference in managing and assessing such patients.