Exercise limitation in obstructive lung disease

Objective: To study the relationship of resting pulmonary function to maximal exercise power output ((W) over dot max) in obstructive lung disease (OLD). Setting: University Hospital Pulmonary Function Laboratory. Subjects: Twenty-five patients with OLD (6 with asthma and 19 with COPD), Methods: Measurement of pulmonary lung function, resting arterial blood gases, and maximal symptom-limited exercise on a cycle ergometer. Results and conclusions: In OLD, the only significant contributor to (W) over dot max was the inspiratory capacity (r(2) = 0.66; p < 0.001).