When a Pulmonary Mechanical Limitation to exercise isn’t the real limitation

Recently I was reviewing a cardio-pulmonary exercise test (CPET) that at first glance seemed to show the patient had a pulmonary mechanical limitation. Specifically, the patient’s minute ventilation (Ve) at peak exercise was 93% of predicted. This was something you’d expect if a patient had an obstructive or restrictive lung disease but I could see right away that the patient’s baseline pulmonary function tests were actually pretty normal.

Baseline PFTs

The maximum oxygen consumption was 73% of predicted so it was apparent the patient had an exercise limitation of some kind but based on a number of other factors I didn’t think it had anything to do with the mechanical aspects of the patient’s lung.

CPET Summary

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