New method accurately assesses heart failure patients' aerobic capacity levels.
The study looked at how anaerobic threshold can be used to assess aerobic capacity in people with heart conditions. They found that anaerobic threshold can be determined by measuring oxygen consumption during exercise. This threshold was lower in patients with heart disease compared to healthy individuals. Anaerobic threshold was reached before maximum effort during exercise and decreased with age in healthy individuals. The researchers validated their method by comparing it to blood lactate measurements.