The Clinical Significance of Aerobic Exercise Testing and Prescription: From Apparently Healthy to Confirmed Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Aerobic exercise testing clearly provides valuable clinical information in apparently healthy adults as well as a number of patient populations. Maximal aerobic capacity, either estimated from workload or measured directly, is perhaps the most frequently analyzed variable ascertained from such testing. This practice is warranted given the consistent prognostic significance of maximal aerobic capacity. Other variables obtained from the aerobic exercise test, such as the heart rate response during exercise and into recovery, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses during exercise, oxygen consumption at anaerobic threshold, and the ventilatory response to exercise, also provide important insight into an individual's health and prognosis. Furthermore, the aerobic exercise test is highly valuable in developing an individualized and safe exercise prescription. Aerobic exercise training goals, with respect to frequency, duration, frequency, and mode of exercise, are well established for the apparently healthy population as well as individuals at risk for or diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Adherence to these physical activity recommendations clearly provides numerous health benefits, perhaps most important of which is a significant decrease in the risk for cardiovascular events and mortality. This review addresses concepts of aerobic exercise testing and training and discusses their clinical implications.