Exercise Stress Program
Equipped with stationary upright, recumbent and supine bicycles, treadmills and an arm ergometer the Exercise Laboratory, part of the interdisciplinary Heart Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, provides complete exercise testing capabilities. The lab tests working capacity, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, respiratory quotient, cardiac output determination (by mass spectrometry), blood pressure response, and electrocardiographic ST segment and arrhythmia analysis. When appropriate, echocardiographic assessment is performed during upright, recumbent or supine exercise.
During the evaluation of pulmonary hypertension a 6-minute walk test is also performed in the stress lab. The 6-minute walk test is used to evaluate the exercise capacity of individuals with pulmonary hypertension and their subsequent response to therapy. During this test an oxygen saturation monitor (pulse ox) is placed on the side of the head (temple) and the patient walks along a measured course at their own pace for six minutes. The total distance walked is then calculated and compared with previous 6-minute walks.
Nearly 800 graded exercise tests are performed annually. With exercise physiologist, Randal P. Claytor, PhD, the Laboratory has developed collaborative research relationships within the Division of Cardiology, the Department of Pediatrics and Miami University of Ohio. Research from the Exercise Stress Program has been presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine and in numerous published manuscripts.
