Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test Could Predict Mortality in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease

Abstract

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To identify the mortality predictors from cardiopulmonary exercise test in a group of Asian patients with interstitial lung disease. <h3>Design</h3> A prospective observational study followed up for 32 months. <h3>Setting</h3> A referral medical center. <h3>Participants</h3> A total of 106 patients with definite diagnosis of interstitial lung disease confirmed by high-resolution computed tomography were enrolled in our study. <h3>Interventions</h3> This is a prospective observational study without any special intervention. All participants received the cardiopulmonary exercise test. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Mortality. <h3>Results</h3> Six variables from cardiopulmonary exercise test, namely peak oxygen consumption, oxygen pulse, peak end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide, heart rate recovery 1 minute after cardiopulmonary exercise test, minute ventilation to carbon dioxide output slope and functional aerobic impairment, were identified to be significant predictors of mortality. We created a summed score, representing the number of variables beyond the cutoff values. The one-year survival rate of patients scored 6 in this summed score were only 25%, in contrast to 97.96% for patients scored 0-5. <h3>Conclusions</h3> If a cardiopulmonary exercise test is available for patients with interstitial lung disease, the summed score created in this study can provide a useful tool to screen these patients for their prognosis. Additional study recruiting more participants is required before the results to be used in clinical settings. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> All authors of this study declares no conflicts of interest.