Ramped vs. standard bruce protocol in children: A comparison exercise responses

We compared maximal exercise parameters obtained using both a ramped Bruce (BR) and a standard Bruce treadmill protocol (BS) in 44 healthy children (9.9 +/- 1.9 yr) and adolescents (15.9 +/- 1.7 yr). The average weight and height for children was 36.7 +/- 10.7 kg and 141.2 +/- 13.2 cm, while for adolescents was 64.4 +/- 13.9 kg and 168.9 +/- 7.5 cm. No significant differences were found in peak heart rate (HRpeak) between protocols for children (BS: 198 +/- 10; BR: 196 +/- 11 bpm) or adolescents (BS: 193 +/- 2; BR: 192 +/- 11 bpm). Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) was also not significantly different for children (BS: 1.81 +/- 0.64; BR: 1.84 +/- 0.74 L/min) or adolescents (BS: 2.66 +/- 0.61; BR: 2.72 +/- 0.67 L/min). Based on our results, we conclude that equivalent peak HR and VO2 values can be obtained in normal children and adolescents using a standard or a ramped Bruce protocol.