Abstract
Ambulatory oxygen therapy may be of benefit in bicycle exercise tests. We have assessed the effects of ambulatory oxygen during walk tests in 12 patients with chronic heart failure. In 6 min walks with the patient breathing air, mean (SD) arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2) fell from 94·4 (3·7)% at rest to 90·1 (6·1)% (p=0·014) on exercise. 2 l/min oxygen increased resting SaO 2 from 93·7 (4·0)% (air cylinder) to 96·5 (3·0)% (p<0·001) with no effect on minimum SaO 2, distance, or breathlessness. During endurance walks, 4 l/min oxygen increased minimum SaO 2 from 90·4 (5·6)% to 93·5 (4·7)% (p=0·011) but also had no effect on breathlessness or distance. Ambulatory oxygen in currently available cylinders cannot be recommended for patients with chronic heart failure.
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