[Value of the exercise test in the functional evaluation of non-coronary cardiac patients]

72 cardiac patients underwent an exercise test on the bicycle ergometer, with direct measurement of the oxygen consumption (VO2). These results are compared with those of 55 healthy subjects undergoing the same test. The amount of handicap varied with the nature of the cardiac lesion, being 39% for the mitral and cardiomyopathy groups, 31% for those with both mitral and aortic valve disease, 27% for the aortic valve group, and 25% for those with congenital abnormalities. The linear relationship between Watts and VO2 was reproduced both in the healthy and cardiac subjects, which allows us to calculate the value of VO2 under conditions of load for more than 3 minutes during a standardized exercise test.